Affections & Obstacles
by Anggiemon
Summary: It's been years since Austin and Ally first met and they've managed to stay the best of friends ever since, but will it last? Will new feelings surface and threaten their perfect friendship or will they be able to handle being more than just best friends?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.  
**

* * *

Three years have passed since Austin and Ally met and they are now in their final year of high school. Austin has become immensely famous over the years. He's gone from performing in small venues of a hundred or so people to concert halls with thousands of screaming fans. Even with all the fame, Austin is still the same old goofy cute dork that everyone loves. Ally has definitely matured into a beautiful young woman. However, her stage fright is still preventing her from performing on a stage in front of a crowd, but she's slowly starting to overcome it with the help of her best friends. Trish, although still unable to hold down a job, has gotten better at managing Austin's career. Booking him gigs and press conferences that boost his popularity and increase his fan base. Dez's videos are widely popular all over the internet. Not only Austin's music videos but also his own short movies like _Claws Dun-Dun-Dun 2_. Despite the fact that Austin is climbing to the peak of his stardom, he's still as grounded as when he first started out in the business. With the help of Team Austin of course.

Another typical Saturday, Ally is working her shift at Sonic Boom. Her dad is away on some kazoo convention and has left Ally in charge. It was a slow day so Ally decided to close the store early. Plus it was Austin and Ally time. With his busy schedule and screaming fans, it's a wonder how Austin has any free time. But he'd always make time for his best friends.

During Austin and Ally time (or songwriting time), they would lock themselves in the practice room and write for hours. Sometimes never even coming out before they finished a song. Even though Austin has his own state of the art recording studio, he still prefers writing and producing songs in the comfort of the practice room at Sonic Boom. The two of them were sitting in front of the piano pressing the keys, producing random notes before Austin spoke up. "So how are we going to tackle this one? Got any ideas?"

Ally stopped pressing the keys. "Well, I do have some lyrics written in my song book." Austin reached for the song book. But before he even got close, Ally snatched it away. "Austin Moon. Don't. Touch. My. Book."

Austin laughed. "I'm kidding Ally. I know you enough to not to touch your precious song book."

Ally smiled. "Good. So here's what I have so far." She showed him the book.

Austin scanned the page. "It's a love song."

"That's right. It just came to me one night. Are the lyrics to girly for you?"

"Yeah, kind of. Who is it about?"

Ally flinched. "Why does it need to be about someone?"

"Ally, I've known you for a long time. You don't just come up with lyrics like these and not have someone you were thinking about." He hesitated. "Is it Dallas?"

'_Dallas,'_ Ally thought, _'that's someone I haven't thought about in a while.'_

Two years ago, Ally finally had the nerve to go on a date with Dallas. Dallas took her to a wonderful restaurant and they had a lot of fun. The date went well, but neither of them felt a spark that was needed to continue the relationship, and so they decided to stay friends. Apart from the occasional 'hello' when they see each other at the food court or the library, Ally and Dallas never really talked to each other since their date.

"Austin, Dallas and I decided to stay friends remember? It was just a small crush. That happened ages ago, I'm over it." Lie. Dallas was her first crush. Even if there was no spark she still felt pretty heartbroken when they parted.

"Okay. Then who is this song about? Is it something you can't tell me?" He looked disappointed.

"Austin…" She looked at him with gentle eyes. "You're my best friend, I'd tell you anything. The thing is, I'm not so sure either. Maybe it's about someone, maybe it isn't."

Noticing the confusion and sadness in Ally's voice, Austin decided to let it go. "I understand. Shall we move on then?" He started tickling Ally. "Why so blue? Cheer up!"

"Stop it Austin! You know how ticklish I am!" The sound of laughter echoed through the room. Ally managed to escape Austin's grip and flipped through her song book. "Okay, how about this. It's more fun and energetic than the other one." She started playing and singing the song.

_**Chilling on the beach wearing my shades**_

_**Feeling the warm summer breeze brush my skin**_

_**The soft sand between my toes**_

_**Friends by my side, what more could I ask?**_

_**The refreshing smell of the ocean**_

_**Splashing through the waves with my best friends**_

_**All the laughter and joy**_

_**Just having some fun under the sun**_

"Yeah, I love this one!" Austin did a little dance. "It's totally going to be number one! Amazing as always, Ally." He pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Austin." She said as she hugged back.

Their hug was interrupted by the sound of Austin's cell phone. He pulled out his phone to see a text. "It's from Trish. I have a press conference in an hour, I should get ready. Do you want to come with?"

"No thanks, I think I'll stick around and work on a couple of songs."

"Okay. Don't work too hard or you'll hurt that pretty little head of yours. Later Ally-gator." He said with a wink.

Ally giggled. "Bye Austin." She watched him leave and went back to concentrating on the song. She opened her book to the love song and started playing.

_**Confused beyond understanding**_

_**Every time I'm around you I get chills**_

_**My heart beats as if it's going to explode**_

_**There's a spark that makes me breathless**_

_**I'm just speechless**_

_**These feelings are unavoidable**_

_**Someone please help me**_

_**I think I'm falling for him**_

Ally closed her eyes and sighed. "Who is this song about?"

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**Who do you think the song is about?  
**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. :D Tell me what you think?  
**

**I will try to update daily/as frequently as I can.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews! And here's chapter two. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

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The following day, Austin, Ally, Trish and Dez had lunch at Suzy's Soups while having a Team Austin meeting. They were discussing Austin's latest music video.

"So I'll need a hundred tubs of ice cream, fifty beach balls, a giant sand castle and a monkey." Still the same old Dez asking for weird things. But hey, that's what makes his videos so unique and interesting, not to mention widely popular.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't put any monkeys in the lyrics." Ally said, giving a confused look to her freckled friend.

"Oh, I know. I just always wanted a pet monkey." Dez said with a wide grin.

"I can get you the ice cream, the beach balls and the sand castle." Trish said while jotting down notes on her myTAB. "But no monkey." She gave Dez a glare.

"Darn. It was worth a try."

"Anyways, I've got the beach booked for all day next week." She said, still not taking her eyes off her myTAB. Trish has definitely taken the managing job seriously. "And I can only get it booked for one day, so we'll need to work fast."

"You know, if I had a monkey I could work faste—"

"No monkey Dez."

"Aww, come o—"

"No. Means. No."

"Darn."

Austin and Ally laughed as their two friends bickered. It's moments like these that Austin truly enjoyed about being a rock star. Sure being on stage performing in front of millions of fans is amazing, but working together with his best friends, making his dreams come true is so much more fun. "Okay guys let's focus."

"Austin's right. I'm heading to the beach to check out the stage. Dez, go pick up the props for the video. And Ally, you and Austin rehearse the song until its perfect. This is going to be the best summer video ever!" Trish waved goodbye and headed for the beach.

"Alright then, off to Monkey Land!" Austin and Ally stared at Dez. "Did I say monkey? I mean off to pick up the props. Bye!" Dez scurried off leaving Austin and Ally who just sat there and laughed.

"Dez is so…well, Dez." Ally said as Austin chuckled. "So let's head for the practice room."

* * *

"I've got some new dance moves. Tell me what you think." Austin said as he flipped the CD in. The music started and Austin jumped in with some fancy footwork. The way his feet moved made it seem like he was floating in midair. The fast movements were in sync with the fast beats from the music. His body flowed gracefully through the air along with the melody. He ended with a flip and his signature 'Austin' pose. "Yeah!"

Ally applauded and gave her best friend a high five. "That was amazing Austin! Your fans are going to love it."

"Thanks Ally. Now let's rehearse the song from the top."

Austin grabbed his guitar as Ally sat in front of the piano. They played the song with so much passion as musicians. The music flowed throughout the room as each note was hit with perfection. The smiles and the laughter made it clear that they had a lot of fun playing together. They ran the song a couple of times before retreating for the day.

"You're going to do great tomorrow Austin." Ally smiled.

"So are you."

She looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"I want you to be in the video. With me."

"Austin, that's very sweet of you. But I don't think I'm ready to be on stage or in front of a camera."

"Please Ally? You can just play piano in the back. No one will notice you."

"I'm just going to ruin the video like I ruined the Helen Show a few years back, remember?"

"That was a long time ago. No one even remembers. Please Ally?" And there's the signature Austin puppy dog eyes. No one can resist them, especially Ally.

She tried looking away, but with no avail. "Okay! I'll do it."

"Thanks Ally! You're the best!" He grinned and engulfed her in a huge bear hug.

"Can't…breathe…Austin…" Ally managed to say between breaths.

"Sorry Ally." He let go of Ally and 'booped' her nose. "Boop."

"Don't 'boop' my nose Austin Moon." She said smiling.

"You're just so adorable Ally." He laughed and she blushed deep red. "I'm glad that you're slowly starting to overcome your stage fright. You're an amazing singer and songwriter Ally. The world needs to see your talent." Austin smiled at his best friend. "And I'll be helping you every step of the way."

Ally turned an even more deep shade of red. _'Why am I blushing so hard? It's just Austin. He compliments me all the time. He's my best friend. Snap out of it Ally!'_

"Ally?" She snapped out of her trance to see Austin putting her hand on her forehead. "You okay? You look a little red. Do you have a fever?" Ally stepped back and stammered.

"Uh, I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired. We've been rehearsing all day." She grinned.

"You're right. We should head back. It's been a long day. How about I walk you home?"

"I uh..." Ally hesitated. _'Wait, why am I hesitating? It's Austin for crying out loud! Am I nervous? Wait, why would I be nervous? Okay what is going on? Oh no I think I'm thinking too much, he's staring! Say something Ally!'_ "Uh, yeah sure. Let's go home. Homey, home, home. Homey sweet home. Home, home, home!" She laughed awkwardly. "Uh, too much?" She forced a laugh.

Austin laughed, hard. Ally is just so awkward sometimes. But that's one of the many qualities that Austin loves about his best friend. She's not like any other. She's, well, Ally. "Shall we go milady?" He said as he offered his hand to her.

Ally giggled at her blond best friend. "Why of course good sir." She still couldn't help but blush a little as she took his hand and they left the store. _'It's just Austin, stop being nervous.'_ She mentally hit herself._ 'Wait, nervous? No, I'm not nervous! Why would I be? Gah!'_ She smacked her head a couple times with her hand.

"Uh Ally? Why are you hitting yourself? You okay?" He stared at her, concerned at her odd behavior.

She stopped hitting herself and smiled, awkwardly. "Oh yeah, there were just mosquitoes. On my head. Dozens of them." She laughed, awkwardly, again. Mentally hitting herself, again. _'I'm such an idiot…'_

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**Oh Ally, you're so adorable.**

**Tell me what you think? :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! Chapter three! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

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"Thanks for shopping at Sonic Boom, here's your change. Come again." Ally cheerfully said to a costumer. It was another hard day at work; Sonic Boom was relatively packed today. From rehearsals with Austin for his music video to working full time at Sonic Boom it's a wonder how Ally can balance her life, but somehow she manages.

Ally's dad noticed that his daughter seemed a little overworked. "You look tired Ally; it's been a long day. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? I'll take over."

"Thanks dad, I could sure use a break." She waved at her dad as she left the store and headed for the food court.

* * *

Siting at an empty table near the fountain sipping her juice, Ally saw a familiar face come her way.

"Hey Allly, guess who got a job at Billl's Surf Shop?" Trish said as she showed off her surf gear.

"Nice outfit Trish." She laughed at her oddly dressed best friend. "That's like your tenth job this week. And weren't you just working at Tech Town this morning?" Ally raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, well they didn't really like me playing with all the tech as opposed to working." Trish said, oblivious of the wrong she did during work. "So what are you up to? How are the rehearsals going?"

"Great. Austin is doing amazing, as usual." Every song Ally gave to Austin, he would always perform it with perfection. This is also thanks to Ally and her amazing songwriting skills. All her songs would just go flawlessly with Austin's personality, she knew him well being best friends and all. "He asked me to play piano for him in the video."

"Really? That's great! You're not nervous?" Trish asked, referring to Ally's stage fright.

"Of course I am! But Austin said that I'd be at the back. But still! It's on stage! With people! Looking!" Ally said frantically, shaking her best friend whilst chewing on her hair.

Trish got a little dizzy from Ally shaking her. "Okay stop. I'm going to puke if you keep shaking me and stop chewing your hair." Ally let go of Trish and muttered an apology, still chewing on her hair. "You're going to do great Ally. It's great that Austin is helping you face your fear. He's a great friend."

"Who's a great friend?" Austin asked as he sat down at a seat next to Ally. "Are you guys talking about me?" He said with his signature smug smile.

Ally stopped chewing her hair and giggled at Austin's arrogance as she slapped him in the arm playfully. "Hey Austin."

"I'm bored. But I don't feel like rehearsing. What are you guys up to?" Austin asked rubbing his arm.

"Well, I got to get back to work. And by work I mean checking out the cute surfer guys that come by. Later guys!" Trish waved at her friends and headed to the surf shop.

"Trish will never change when it comes to jobs." Ally shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah." Austin laughed. "But she's doing a pretty good at being my manager. I mean, look at me now."

"Yeah, she's doing amazing." They shared a smile. "So what do you want to do?"

"Hmm, want to grab some ice cream?" Austin suggested.

"Yeah sure, sounds great."

* * *

"Hey Ally, remember when we got locked up here? We were in the freezer, it was so cold!" They were at Scoop There It Is.

Ally giggled at the memory. It was a day full of trouble, ice cream and almost getting arrested. But everything turned out great in the end. She remembered a wonderful memory about the beach and they created an amazing song that won the competition. "Yeah, it was such a hectic day."

"Welcome to Scoop There It Is, how may I help you?" Offered one of the employees.

"Yeah, one chocolate chip and one fruity mint swirl please." Austin said without hesitation.

"Sure thing, one second."

Ally smiled. He knew just what she was thinking. It's not a surprise that Austin knows Ally's favorite ice cream flavor, they are best friends after all. But it's these little details that Austin knows about Ally that really make her smile and grateful to have a friend like him. Their friendship has definitely grown over the years, they've relied on each other for everything. Austin has helped Ally slowly overcome her stage fright; and it was Austin that helped Ally with the courage to go on a date with Dallas and it was also him that consoled her when Dallas and Ally decided to stay friends after the date. Austin went straight to Ally's house and stayed with her watching the clouds until she felt better, being a strong shoulder for her to cry on. He really was a dependable guy. Ally was also there for Austin when he received his first few hate and death threats. With fame comes haters and Austin had a lot. So much to a point that Austin almost gave up. But Ally was always there; supporting him and giving him the strength to get right back up and face all the haters with a smile. No one and nothing can break the friendship of the dynamic duo that is Austin & Ally.

"Here you go. One chocolate chip and one fruity mint swirl." She handed the cones to Austin. "Enjoy." They paid and sat at a table near the window.

"Yum, I haven't had ice cream in a while." Ally said as she happily licked her ice cream.

Austin laughed. "Gosh Ally, you're getting ice cream on your face." He wiped the ice cream off of Ally's face with a napkin.

Ally turned bright pink. "Uh, thanks Austin." She looked down trying to hide her blush.

"No problem Ally." He smiled and continued to focus on his ice cream.

'_Why am I being so shy and nervous around Austin? I think I'm just sick or something.'_ Ally thought as she sighed silently.

"Hey Ally can I try some of that?" Before Ally could react Austin reached for her hand and brought her cone to his mouth. "Yum." He licked his lips and smiled as he let go of her hand. "Thanks Ally."

Stunned at Austin's sudden action Ally nearly fell off her chair. Fortunately, Austin caught her before she could fall. "Whoa, that was close. Careful Ally." His hand was around her waist as he pulled her back up.

"Uh, thanks Austin. I guess I'm just a bit tired. There's been a lot going on lately, with the music video and work, not to mention school." She sighed.

"You have been a bit off lately. How about I walk you home?" He offered, concerned about his best friend acting so oddly, and not the good quirky odd Ally.

"Yeah, thanks Austin." They finished their ice cream and headed home. _'What is going on with me? Austin catching me off guard all the time and making me somewhat nervous? I guess I'm just tired.' _She just brushed it off and went home with Austin.

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**Oh dear. What's wrong with Ally?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't say thank you enough for the reviews. It's always wonderful reading them. :)  
**

**And here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

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_**Heart thumping, stomach churning**_

_**Hands shaking, breath intensifying  
**_

_**It's all because of you**_

_**And only you**_

As Ally ended the song she heard clapping from the door of the practice room. Surprised she turned to see Trish coming toward her. "That was a great song Ally. Who's it about?"

"Why does every song I write need to be about someone? Can't I just write a song for fun?"

Trish sat down on the piano bench, next to Ally. "Not one with that much emotion. Is something going on?"

"Nothing." She knew lying to Trish was useless but she just didn't feel like talking about it.

Trish stood up and headed for the door. "Okay, I'll just go tell Austin that you're in love with him."

"Wait, WHAT?" Ally grabbed Trish before she could head out. "What are you talking about?"

"You're in love with Austin." She looked at Ally like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm your best friend Ally; I tend to know things about you more than you do. Plus, I'm a girl."

"How can you even suggest that? Austin's my best friend, that's just nonsense!"

"Then explain the song."

"It's a song. With words. That has no relation to any persons dead or alive."

"Ally, as a musician, music is the best way you communicate your feelings. And this song right here screams feelings."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"For someone who loves romance, you can be pretty clueless when it comes to your own love life."

"That's because my love life doesn't exist." Ally said, air quoting 'love life'. "As in I'm not in love with anyone at the moment Trish."

"Ally, Ally, Ally." Trish said as she put her arm around Ally. "You can be so naïve sometimes, you know that?"

"Umm, no?"

"Well you are. This song here screams 'I'm in love with Austin Moon.'"

"How can it scream that? It doesn't even mention his name."

"I've been watching you lately Ally. Spacing out all the time, acting all weird and nervous around Austin, all the symptoms of the love bug."

"There has to be a more logical explanation."

"Love doesn't need logic."

Ally couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her being in love with Austin Moon! Her best friend and partner! That's impossible. She can't be in love with Austin. _'There has to be another explanation to all these weird feelings.' _She told herself. _'I'm not in love with my best friend!'_ Ally smacked her head a couple of times hoping to get the idea out of her head.

"See! You're doing it again."

Ally stopped hitting her head and gave Trish a confused look. "Doing what?"

"Denying the fact that you're in lo—"

"Stop saying that word!" Ally cut her off trying to avoid the word.

"What word? Lo—"

"Don't say it!" She said as she closed her ears.

"Denial." Trish said in a sing-song voice.

"No it isn't." Ally answered in the same voice. "Trish, I love you, but you're crazy."

"You know it's true."

"It's not. Forget it; I'm just going to go focus on my song again. Tell Austin anything about your little bizarre theory and I will…I will…" She said trailing off, not knowing what to threaten Trish with.

Trish just sat there and laughed. "Oh Ally, there's no bad bone in your body. You can't threaten me."

Ally slumped in defeat. "Fine, just don't tell Austin those lies."

"Fine." She smirked. "It's only a lie if it's not true."

"Well, it isn't."

"Whatever you say." She left the room to let Ally focus on her songwriting, giggling in the process.

Ally rolled her eyes and thought about what Trish just said. The words circling her mind like a broken CD. Repeating itself over and over again. _'You're in love with Austin.'_ She shook her head trying to get the idea out of her head. "Nonsense." She muttered and sighed. It's true that weird things have been happening to her whenever she's around Austin, but there has to be another logical explanation. Austin is her best friend. That's it, nothing more. She continued her songwriting for a couple minutes before retiring for the day. The video shoot was tomorrow so she decided to release all the tiring energy by taking a stroll down the beach. Maybe the ocean breeze will take her mind off of things.

* * *

The beach was pretty empty around this time because people were heading out after a long day. Ever since Austin first took her to the beach to inspire her for the summer song, Ally has taken a liking to the beach. Ever since she and Austin wrote _'Heard It On The Radio,' _she enjoys heading down to the beach, especially when it's peaceful and quiet. It really relaxed her. Ally walked and walked and walked. She didn't care where she was walking; she just wanted to get away from everything. She saw a couple people setting up a stage; it was probably for Austin's music video tomorrow, the same stage where she will be playing on. "I still can't believe that Austin talked me into performing." She sighed. She has been sighing a lot lately. "Why does he always have to do that puppy dog thing? And it's so adorable too…"

"Who's so adorable? Are you talking about me?"

"Austin! You startled me. I was talking just talking about, uh, this sea turtle I saw earlier. Yeah, it was so adorable." She laughed trying to hide her embarrassed face. _'Why does Austin always catch me in the most awkward moments?' _Mentally reminding herself not to talk out loud anymore. "So, what are you doing here?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"I was just checking out the stage for tomorrow. It's going to be epic!" He said excitedly. "I'm so pumped! So what are you doing here?"

"I was just taking a walk, trying to unwind. I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow." She kicked the sand. "Scratch that, really nervous about tomorrow! I can't believe you talked me into being on stage with you!" Ally took some strands of her hair and started chewing it.

"Don't worry Ally, if you get nervous, just look at me. I'll be by your side." He winked at his partner.

Ally looked at her feet trying to hide her flushed face. She started getting exceedingly nervous and began chewing on her hair even more. Austin took her hand to stop her. "Hey Ally, look at me. I know you're nervous and I'm really sorry for putting you in this position." He paused and thought hard. "So you don't have to be in the video if you don't want too. I hate seeing you so uneasy and down." Austin looked at Ally with eyes full of remorse.

"Austin…" It was heartbreaking for Ally seeing Austin so gloomy and regretful. She didn't want her best friend feeling so sad. "No, don't be sorry. You were just thinking about what's best for me. You're trying to help me overcome my fear, which I am extremely grateful for. You're an amazing friend Austin." She looked at him reassuringly. "I'll do it. I'll go on that stage and play my heart out. Maybe literally because I'm still nervous." She laughed softly.

Austin looked at Ally. "You sure about this Ally? I don't want to force you."

"I'm sure."

Austin smiled and pulled Ally into a hug. "That's great Ally. You're going to do great. No, better than great, mind-blowing. The amazing Ally Dawson." Ally giggled into the hug. She loved Austin's hug, she always felt safe and calm. But she felt something more about this hug, something she couldn't quite figure out.

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**Do you think Ally will figure it out?**


	5. Chapter 5

**So who's excited about the Austin & Ally soundtrack? I am! Although I'm really disappointed that Laura isn't singing in it, she has a wonderful voice. Well, I can still look froward to R5 singing in it! But I still want to hear Ally's/Laura's 'You Don't See Me' and an ****Austin and Ally/****Ross and Laura duet. Maybe in the future.**

**Anyways, here's another chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

This was it, the day of the video shoot. The beach was crowded with all kinds of people, crew members setting up the stage, fans screaming Austin's name. Trish was shouting orders, Dez was behind the camera getting everything ready for the shoot, Ally was pacing nervously near the stage, chewing her hair every once in a while, and Austin was tuning his guitar. Everyone was doing their own thing, whether it was trying to contain their excitement or hide their nervousness.

"Hey Ally." Austin said approaching her from behind, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Gah!" Ally jumped, surprised because of her nervousness. She looked at Austin and sighed, taking some strands of hairs and chewing on it. Austin took Ally's hands and stopped her from chewing her hair. Ally blushed at the sudden hand contact from Austin.

"How are you doing?" He asked her, still not letting go of her hand.

"I'm fine, super, swell, awesome, wonderful, great." She smiled nervously.

Austin noticed Ally's tenseness and hugged her tightly to calm her down. However, instead of being calmed down Ally is now more nervous than ever. Her face turned a bright shade of red. She was so confused as to why she was feeling so nervous around Austin, but she brushed it off thinking that it was probably the stage fright. Ally took a deep breath and managed to calm down a little. As soon as Austin felt Ally relaxed he let her go.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her.

Ally kept her eyes on the floor. "Yeah, I guess so." She glanced at Austin. "I can do this."

Austin smiled at her. "Yeah you can."

"Five minutes everyone. FIVE MINUTES!" Trish shouted, it was probably loud enough for the whole beach to hear. She turned to Dez. "What is that?" She was referring to the small primate perched on Dez's shoulder.

Dez grinned. "This is Abu. Isn't he cute?" He rubbed Abu's chin.

"He actually got a monkey." Ally said petting Abu. "Aww, he's kind of cute."

"And he's real smart too, watch this. Abu, grab some noodles." Dez said gesturing to the buffet table. Abu jumped from Dez's shoulders and landed on Trish's head.

"Ack!" Abu grabbed Trish's hair and pulled it towards Dez.

Dez laughed and took the hair. "Well, close enough."

Trish gave Dez a dirty look and pulled her hair back. "Not funny. Bad monkey." She said scolding the monkey as if he was a kid that just did something bad.

Dez, Austin and Ally laughed at Trish arguing with the monkey. Ally felt the tension lift off of her shoulders. Being around her best friends, laughing and having fun made her feel a little less nervous about being on stage. She felt ready and confident.

"Okay guys, time to be serious. Dez take that monkey away from me and get behind the camera. Austin and Ally, get on stage and go be awesome." Trish said.

"Yes ma'am!" Austin, Ally and Dez said in unison as they headed for their places.

Trish grabbed Ally just before she went up the steps that lead to the stage. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"

Ally took a deep breath. "Yeah, I can do this."

Trish smiled and hugged her tight. "I'm so proud of you Ally."

Ally sniffles a little at Trish's words. Trish may seem selfish and insensitive, not to mention lazy, at times but she can also be truly caring when it comes to her dear friends. "Thank you Trish."

"Now go out there and kill it." Trish said as Ally went up the steps to the stage.

The cameras were set, the sun was high in the sky and the crowd was ready to cheer. Ally sat at the piano bench, readying herself mentally. Then she looked at Austin, all pumped and excited for the video shoot. His blond hair flopped perfectly on his head, his warm smile and harmonious laugh making her heart do a double take. Just then Trish's words rang through her head. _'You're in love with Austin.'_ Ally blushed and hit her head on the piano a couple of times. _'What am I thinking?!'_ She said to herself. What she didn't notice was that it was actually making a lot of noise which caused some people to stare at her. She grinned awkwardly and muttered a sorry and everyone went back to their business. Austin approached her looking concerned.

"Are you okay Ally?" He said taking a seat next to her, their closeness making her blush. Ally's a little confused as to why Austin sitting close to her is making her blush. Austin has always sat close, real close, to Ally before and she's always been fine. What's so different about now?

"Oh I'm fine, peachy." She took a deep breath. "I can do this Austin." Her eyes showed something Austin has never seen before, confidence. Ally Dawson was confident about being on stage where people could see her.

"I'm glad you're fighting your fear." He gave her a quick hug and wink as he got ready to perform. This also caused Ally to blush fiercely.

'_You're in love with Austin.'_ Trish's words kept ringing in her head over and over again. She just couldn't stop it. Ally kept on thinking of logical ways to explain her weird behavior. _'Love doesn't need logic.'_ And again Trish's crazy words run through her head. Her thinking was cut short by Dez.

"Okay guys time to do this! PLACES PEOPLE!"

This was it, it's now or never. Dez looked to Ally; she nodded signaling that she was ready.

"Alright, everyone ready. And… Action!"

Ally took a deep breath and started playing. Austin wasn't looking at Ally but he could feel her confidence from the way she played. Ally couldn't believe that she was actually playing, she's facing her fear! Although still a little nervous she managed to play beautifully. She really had to thank Austin; her courage is coming from his support for her. Austin was really a great guy and Ally is so thankful for his existence in her life. She really can't imagine how she'd face her stage fright without him. Her focus was on Austin who was singing his heart out. By focusing on Austin, she didn't notice the audience and was definitely more relaxed about performing.

They do the song more than once, with Ally feeling more and more comfortable with every take. While singing, Austin danced around the stage and would occasionally smile or wink at Ally when he got near her. Every time he did that, the amount of confidence in Ally increased. She still couldn't believe what she was doing. Ally Dawson, the girl that couldn't be on stage without chewing on her hair is performing in front of an audience! She wasn't exactly singing or anything, she's not ready for that, but she was doing something that, before she met Austin, was unimaginable. Austin has changed her life for the better and she's glad that they got to meet and become partners. Her heart started thumping in her chest and once again, Trish's words echoed in her head. _'You're in love with Austin.'_ This time, she didn't shake it off. Watching Austin perform, she let it sink in. _'I'm in love with Austin?'_ She watched him carefully, the intensity yet playfulness in his eyes, the confident yet modest smile. He's always been there for Ally, like a best friend should. _'Austin is my best friend.' _She remembers the love song she wrote a while back.

_**Confused beyond understanding**_

_**Every time I'm around you I get chills**_

_**My heart beats as if it's going to explode**_

_**There's a spark that makes me breathless**_

_**I'm just speechless**_

_**These feelings are unavoidable**_

_**Someone please help me**_

_**I think I'm falling for him**_

And it all makes sense now. _'I've fallen for my best friend.'_ Ally was in shock, trying to process what she just discovered whilst focusing on playing. Austin came over and sat next to her startling her a little. Still singing, he put his arm around her shoulders. Ally just smiled trying real hard to hide the growing blush.

The shoot was finally over. For Ally, it felt like the longest performance in the world. Not only was it her first actual performance ever since her stage fright but she also realized something important. She had feelings for her best friend. "I never thought I'd say this but Trish was right. What am I going to do?" She sighed and headed back stage. She scanned the hordes of people coming in and out looking for Trish, but before she could find her someone hugged her from behind.

"ALLY THAT WAS AWESOME!" Ally turned to face her hugger. Austin hugged her again and this time picked her up and twirled. Now that Ally realized her feelings she turned brighter than Dez's colorful clothing. Austin finally put Ally down and smiled.

"I couldn't have done it without you, thanks Austin." Ally smiled at him, still a little red.

Their moment was interrupted by a familiar voice. "You did a great job out there blondy." Austin and Ally turned to where the voice was from. When they saw who it was, Austin couldn't contain his happiness.

"Cassidy!"

* * *

**Oh my.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

"Cassidy!"

Austin was almost speechless, he was so happy to see Cassidy again. Ally was also speechless, for a completely different reason. Both Austin and Ally took turns hugging Cassidy. Austin stared at Cassidy like a love struck fool and Ally stared at Austin, heartbroken.

"When did you get back from L.A.?" Austin asked sounding very excited about Cassidy's sudden arrival.

"Yesterday afternoon. I heard that you were shooting your music video so I thought I'd stop by and see you blondy."

Austin loved it when she called him 'blondy', it seemed more affectionate. "We should catch up!" Austin said, beaming.

Cassidy giggled at Austin's excitement. "Sure, how about that date?"

"Yeah! Sure, totally! Yeah!" Austin said excitedly.

Ally was just standing there awkwardly, taking everything in. She didn't know what to feel. "I'm uh, going to go tell the others that you're back, Cassidy." Ally said as she quickly went to find Trish and Dez.

The truth is that she just wanted to get away from Austin and Cassidy. Once she was away far enough she sighed. _'I guess I really do like Austin if the fact that Cassidy's back is bothering me.'_ She continued to walk forgetting that she was supposed to find Trish and Dez.

"Hey Ally! That was amazing!" She turned and saw Trish and Dez heading towards her. Trish hugged her and Dez gave her a high five.

"Where's Austin?" Dez asked with Abu still on his shoulder.

"He's uh, he's by the stage." Ally hesitated. "Actually, Cassidy's here."

"Cassidy? We haven't seen her in years. Austin must be so excited." Dez said as he headed to where Austin is.

"Yeah, he is." Ally looked at the ground.

"Are you okay Ally? You seem down." Trish asked.

"Hmm, I'm just tired. It was a long video shoot." Ally faked laughed, trying to hide her sadness. But she knew she couldn't hide anything from Trish. "I'll tell you later Trish."

Noticing her distress, Trish backed off. "Okay, how about I come over to your house for a sleepover and we can talk then."

"Sure," Ally smiled, "thanks Trish."

They followed Dez and headed to where Austin and Cassidy are.

"Hey Cassidy! Got some egg salad?" Dez asked still addicted to Melody Diner's egg salad.

"You know I don't work at the diner anymore right?" Cassidy giggled at Dez.

"Aww man." Dez slumped and frowned.

"Ignore him. So, how long are you staying Cassidy?" Austin grinned wide; he just couldn't contain his happiness.

"For a while, my band is on hiatus so I thought I'd come back home."

"That's great!" Austin said.

Ally stood there, flabbergasted. Cassidy will be staying for a long time, maybe even for good. This means that she and Austin might date, maybe even for a long time. Ally tried to be positive about what's happening. _'It's great, I'm so happy for you Austin.'_ She thought, convincing herself that she's fine.

"Well, I've got to get back. I'll see you tomorrow blondy. Bye Ally, Trish, Dez."Cassidy said as she waved and left.

"Bye Cassidy." Austin sighed dreamily.

"Dude, I can't believe you finally got that date with Cassidy." Dez said waving his hands in front of Austin trying to get his attention, but his eyes were still glued on Cassidy.

"Yeah isn't she amazing?" Still not taking his eyes off of where Cassidy just left.

Ally felt like jumping into an empty hole and never coming out. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs releasing all the pain inside her. She was glad that her best friend was happy, but she couldn't help but feel hurt. She wanted to just be alone and cry.

"Uh, I'm going to head home. It was such a long day and I need some rest." Ally said, she just wanted to get away from all this before she broke into tears. She didn't want to cry in front of Austin or Dez.

"You okay Ally? You look a little pale." Austin got near but Ally took a step away before he could touch her.

"Uh, I just need some rest." She hurried off before Austin could ask any more questions.

"I'll go make sure that she's okay. See you guys." Trish said as she went after Ally.

"I wonder what's wrong with Ally."

"She's probably jealous of my monkey. Right, Abu?" Austin raised his eyebrows at Dez. "Or she's just tried. Yeah that." Dez grinned.

"I hope so." Austin was concerned about Ally; she was acting way off character. He didn't know what was wrong with her. "I guess I'll check on her tomorrow."

* * *

Ally and Trish were sitting on the living room couch. The TV was on and there were food and tissue boxes on the table. Blankets and pillows were spread out on the floor. They haven't talked about what happened during the video shoot so Trish decided to bring it up.

"So when did you figure it out?" Trish asked while munching on some popcorn.

Ally's eyes were still glued on the TV. "Figure what out?"

"You know, your feelings for Austin."

"Oh, that. How do you know I figured it out?" Ally looked at Trish and grabbed some popcorn.

"Hello? How long have I been your best friend? Way longer than Austin." Trish smirked.

"Oh right." Ally laughed softly. She was glad that Trish was here with here, especially now. "Well, it was while I was performing on stage, I realized that every love song I've recently written was about him." Ally grabbed some popcorn.

"I don't want to say I told you so." Trish smirked. "Oh who am I kidding, I do. I told you so."

Ally giggled. "Okay, okay. You were right Trish. But it doesn't matter anyways." Ally looked sad again. "I'm glad that Cassidy's back. She made Austin really happy and that's all that matters." She forced a smile.

"Ally…" Trish was crushed seeing her best friend so heart broken. _'Poor Ally,'_ she thought, _'just when she realized her feelings, Austin's old crush is back.'_

"It's fine really Trish. It's not like I was going to tell him or anything. Our friendship means too much for me to jeopardize it because of some stupid crush."

Trish knew it wasn't just some crush, Dallas was a crush. Ally thought he was cute and charming but didn't know him too well, that was a crush. But Austin, she's known him for a long time now and they've been through a lot together. A lot of people say that their relationship is strictly platonic and that's what Austin and Ally think too. But Trish knew that there was undeniably more chemistry between them than meets the eye. And her theory was proven right seeing as Ally just realized her hidden feelings for Austin.

"I wish I didn't realize my feelings. I need to forget about all this."

"Ally, you can't just forget your feelings." Trish put her hands on Ally's shoulders.

"I can try." Ally started crying. "It's for the best Trish. Besides, I don't want things to change between me and Austin. My feelings for him will just get in the way of our friendship and not to mention partnership. No one else can know about how I feel about him."

Trish couldn't stand seeing her best friend like this. All she can do is comfort Ally while she cries. Being the kind person Ally is, Trish knew that she couldn't hate Cassidy. All she would do now is hide her pain behind a smile. The fact that Austin was happy is good enough for her. _'I wish there was something I could do for her.'_ Trish sighed and hugged the crying Ally.

* * *

**Poor Ally. :(**


	7. Chapter 7

**I can never say thank you enough for all the wonderful reviews. They really keep me motivated to write, write and write! I'm glad people are liking on what started out as where all my Auslly feels are dumped, hahaha. (Although it doesn't feel all that Auslly yet does it? But it will don't worry.) Anyways, here's another chapter that I managed to finish. Got a little sidetracked though, I've got a few one-shots I'm currently working on. Anyways (again :P), here's chapter seven! Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Ally is in the practice room, scrubbing everything in sight. From the piano keys to the ceiling tiles, everything was clean. Yesterday has been the most tiring and dramatic day of her life. She spent her night crying her eyes out trying to just forget everything; well it was easier said than done. She's determined to keep everything between her and Austin just the way they were before she realized her feelings. It's hard trying to hide things from Austin though. Like Trish, Austin knows her well and could see right through her. Just thinking about it made her start polishing the floor like crazy.

"Hey Ally, whoa!" Austin was slipping on the freshly polished floor trying to keep balance. Before he fell flat on his face, Ally managed to steady him. "That was close, thanks Ally."

"What are you doing here Austin?" She asked kneeling down and polishing the floor around Austin.

"Uh, I just came to check up on you." He walked over to the sofa carefully avoiding stepping on Ally who was really into the polishing. "You seemed odd yesterday after the video shoot."

Ally stopped polishing for a moment, thinking and then she continued. "Well, I think I ate something bad. Yeah, with the nervousness it kind of made my stomach a little messed up." She avoided eye contact with him. "I'm fine now."

Austin couldn't believe that Ally was lying to him. Yeah, that's right; he can tell that she's lying to him. For starters she's cleaning, like a maniac; she only does that when she's upset. And he's pretty sure it's not just her stomach that's upsetting her.

"Okay, well I have to get going. If there's anything you want to talk to me about you know I'll always be here for you. Later Ally." He smiled and left the practice room. He knew Ally was keeping something from him, he just didn't know what. If Ally was trying so hard to keep whatever it is from him then she really must not want him to find out. Austin sighed but he respected Ally's decision not to tell him. He trusts that Ally will tell him in due time.

Ally sighed deeply, she hated lying to Austin but there was nothing she could do. She had to save their friendship and lying to him about her feelings is the best thing to do at the moment. You can't make pancakes without breaking a few eggs. She continued scrubbing and tried to forget about it.

* * *

"Something's wrong with Ally and she's not telling me about it." Austin and Dez were at the mall food court. Austin chewed on the straw if his juice.

"Maybe it's just that time of month for girls. You know," Dez came close to Austin and whispered, "the big 70% off sales. Don't think too much of it."

Austin chuckled at his best friend; Dez sure knows how to cheer people up unintentionally. "I guess you're right."

"So what are you going to wear for your date with Cassidy tonight?" Dez said playing with Abu; he has grown incredibly attached to the small primate.

"Oh, I totally forgot!" Austin slapped his head. "I got to get going, bye Dez." He waved at Dez and headed home.

* * *

"I'm usually good at figuring out what to wear." Austin was digging through his closet trying to figure out what to wear. There was clothes spread out all over his room, the floor was barely visible. "I need help." He jumped to his bed and dug for his phone which was buried under all the clothing. He searched his contacts and called the one labeled 'Ally Dawson'. Austin tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited for Ally to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Ally! I need your help; can you come over to my place now please?"

Ally didn't need to be asked a second time, the urgency in Austin's voice was enough. "I'll be there in ten." She said as she hung up.

Austin paced nervously waiting for Ally, occasionally tripping on some random piece of clothing. He started digging around again not even knowing what he was looking for. Suddenly the door opens and a small brunette enters.

"Austin I'm her— Whoa!" Before she could finish saying that she was here she tripped on a shoe and landed on Austin. "Ouch."

"It's a good thing you're light Ally." Austin chuckled as he helped his small friend to her feet.

"Thanks." Ally scanned the room trying to hide the growing blush. "So, uh, what happened in here? You need my help cleaning up or something?" Ally walked around trying to find a place to sit until finally deciding to sit on Austin's bed.

"Not exactly, you know my date with Cassidy is tonight right?" Ally nodded with a slight sadness in her eyes, fortunately unnoticeable to Austin. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what to wear. You're a girl right?"

"Last time I checked." Ally said raising her eyebrows.

"Help me." Austin kneeled in front of Ally, begging.

"Okay, okay I'll help you." Ally giggled. "You know you didn't have to beg, I'll help you because I care about you Austin." Austin looked at Ally and she turned pink. "I uh, because you're my best friend, I'd do anything for you. " She quickly added. _'I need to be careful about what I say around Austin.'_

Austin engulfed Ally in a hug. "You're the best." Ally felt like she was going to explode, her cheeks was burning. She managed to get away from Austin's grip before he could see her flushed face.

"Your date is soon, we should hurry." Ally said as she started searching through the massive piles of clothing. For a guy, Austin has a lot of clothes.

They spent a good hour deciding on what Austin should wear and finally decided on dark blue jeans, a red t-shirt topped with a black blazer like jacket and red converse. Austin was looking at what they put together in the mirror with Ally standing beside him smoothing his clothes. Ally took a step away and examined him, blushing a little. No surprise, she's been blushing away all night.

"You look great Austin." Ally gave him her best smile.

"Thanks to you." They hugged again, Ally tried to contain her happiness that he's hugging her and sadness that it's just a friendship hug. But she's glad that their friendship hasn't changed.

"You better go now or you're going to be late." Ally pushed Austin towards the door.

"But wait, my mom's not going to let me leave until my room is clean." Austin looked down, there were a lot of clothes scattered around the room, and it would take forever to clean.

"I'll clean it for you. Now go, you wouldn't want to keep Cassidy waiting." She pushed him out the door.

"Really?" Austin turned to Ally, she was leaning on the door way.

"Of course, now go. Have fun."

"Again, you're the best." He gave her a quick hug and went on his way.

Ally sighed, not because of cleaning Austin's room, she didn't mind that, but because she was tired of pushing away her feelings. But what can she do?

* * *

Austin arrived at Melody Diner just in time, Cassidy wasn't there yet so he had time to prepare himself mentally. He was confident at what he was wearing thanks to Ally. He reminded himself to thank her somehow.

"Hey blondy." Cassidy called as she walked towards him. She was wearing black skinny jeans that hugged her legs nicely with a ruffled turquoise top and black ballet flats.

"Hi Cassidy." He couldn't take his eyes off of her. "You look great." He said as he offered his hand.

"Thanks, you clean up nice too." She took his hand and headed inside the diner.

Once inside they took a table at the corner of the diner where it was more secluded and private. They talked about a couple things from Austin's career to Cassidy's band until they finally came up to the topic of the music video.

"So how's the music video going?" Cassidy asked as she munched on some fries.

"Great, it's done editing and will be up on the website by tomorrow. I'm actually glad that it's finally done; it was a really hectic week. From writing the songs to shooting, and not to mention finally getting Ally to perform on stage." Austin chuckled at the memory.

"Ally's an amazing partner isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is. I couldn't ask for a better partner and songwriter, she's awesome." Austin smiled proud of his best friend. "She even helped me pick out my clothes today. And she's probably still cleaning my room at the moment." Cassidy looked at him a little weird. "Don't ask."

The rest of the night went well. Once they left Austin offered to walk Cassidy home.

"We should do this again sometime." Austin said, hoping she would say yes.

"Sounds great." Cassidy said with a smile.

* * *

**Sounds like they had a nice date. And Austin, don't you know that you're not supposed to talk about other girls when you're on a date? I guess he can't help it when it comes to Ally can he? ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Ally was working her shift at Sonic Boom; her dad was away again on some saxophone convention and thus leaving her in charge, as usual. At least work was keeping her mind busy from everything. Like on cue, Trish entered wearing a taco costume.

"Guess who got a job at Taco 'Bout Delicious?" Trish said as she struggled, it was awfully hard to walk in the overgrown taco outfit.

Ally laughed at Trish waddling her way to the counter. "You smell weird Trish." She covered her nose.

"It's probably the cheese; everything on this costume is real. Isn't that cool?" Trish said picking on the tortilla.

"No, that's kind of disgusting actually. And you know about the no food in the store policy Trish."

"Alright, I'm leaving. I need to get back to work anyways. Although, I might already be fired. Meh, won't hurt to check." As Trish left, Austin and Dez walked into the store.

"A giant taco! I must be dreaming, don't pinch me." Dez said as he followed Trish.

"Was that Trish in a taco costume?" Austin asked a little confused as to what he just saw.

"Yup, she works at Taco 'Bout Delicious now. Isn't that punny?" Ally laughed, quite awkwardly actually. Austin chuckled at Ally's dorky yet adorableness. Ally cleared her throat and continued. "So how was your date with Cassidy?" Although Ally didn't really want to bring up the subject she was trying to be supportive of her best friend.

"It was great! Cassidy is an amazing girl, I really like her. We're actually going on a second date."

Ally felt like there were knifes poking at her heart. _'Best friends are supposed to be supportive. Come on Ally, stop feeling so sad.'_ She reminded herself. "That's great, I'm really happy for you Austin." She forced a smile. It's true though, she is happy for him. As long as Austin happy then she's happy, or at least, is trying to be happy.

"Thanks Ally." He smiled at her. "So when are you off work today?"

"The usual, why?"

"I want to write a song for Cassidy, will you help me?"

Ally hesitated a little. "Uh yeah, of course Austin."

"Thanks Ally, you rock." He gave her a quick hug and went to the practice room.

'_Be strong Ally, it's for the best. He's happy and that's all that matters.' _She continued to work, trying hard to distract herself from her feelings.

The rest of the day went relatively fast for Ally. I guess it was because of all the costumers she had to deal with. As soon as she finished with her last costumer, she closed the store and headed to the practice room.

"Hey Austin, I just finished work." She took a seat on the piano bench and opened her songbook. Austin took a seat next to her, maybe a little too close for her liking.

"So what do you have for me?" Austin said taking a peek at her songbook.

"Well I have this." She started singing.

_**Heart thumping, stomach churning**_

_**Hands shaking, breath intensifying  
**_

_**It's all because of you**_

_**And only you**_

Austin stared at her playing; she truly is a talented performer. He smiled at how graceful she looked, her eyes closed as her fingers danced on the piano keys. Austin loved watching Ally perform and he's so glad that she feels comfortable singing in front of him.

_**I constantly think about you**_

_**Can't get you out of my mind**_

_**You're the one for me**_

_**And I hope you can see**_

Ally played with all her heart because it was a song she wrote with Austin in her mind and heart. Sitting there singing it to Austin made her feel like a huge weight was lifted from her heart, even if Austin didn't know the true meaning behind the song. The only thing that pains her is the fact that Austin is going to sing this song for Cassidy.

_**When I'm with you I'm the happiest I can be**_

_**You turn my world upside down**_

_**And make me want to shine**_

_**You're awesome**_

The song came to an end and Ally looked to Austin. "So what do you think?"

Austin was still a little bit awed and speechless at Ally's performance. "That was amazing Ally!"

"So you like the song?" Ally smiled, proud of her performance.

"Not just the song, the way you sang the song, it was just so, beautiful."

"Really?" She couldn't help but turn red at the statement.

"Yeah, I am Ally Dawson's number one fan, remember? You're awesome." Austin gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

"Thanks Austin."

They stared at each other for a while before Austin finally spoke up.

"Umm, I'm going to go now. Thanks again for the song, you're the best ever. Bye!" He rushed out of the room before Ally could get a word in.

"Huh, weird." She raised her eyebrows but shrugged it off.

"That's was a beautiful song."

"Trish!" She startled Ally a little. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" Trish said as she walked into the room.

"Sneak up on me randomly."

Trish took a seat on the piano bench next to Ally. "Because it's fun. Anyways, was that the song I heard you play last week?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And you're letting Austin sing it to Cassidy?"

"Yup."

"But Ally, that song was meant for you to sing to Austin." Trish put a hand on Ally's shoulder.

"Now why would I do that?" She picked up some sheet music from the piano and walked to the table.

"Because you love him." Trish said following her.

Ally covered Trish's mouth and shushed her. "Don't say it too loud. Actually, don't say it at all."

"Why?"

"I told you Trish. I'm never going to tell Austin how I feel about him because I know it'll just ruin our friendship. And our friendship means the world to me."

"What if he feels the same way?"

"Hello? He's dating Cassidy; he doesn't feel the same way."

"Are you sure about this Ally?"

"I'm sure. I know you're worried about me Trish and I know you care, I love you for that, but right now I just need to go by without Austin knowing how I feel." Ally looked to her feet. "It's for the best."

* * *

**:)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Who's seen the promo for Successes & Setbacks? I can't stop watching it! Is it August 19th yet? My Auslly feels can't wait to see the episode.  
**

**Well, to keep your Auslly feels satisfied here's chapter 9!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Austin was waiting for Cassidy at the beach; they decided to have a picnic for their second date. Austin had everything ready with the help of Ally, Dez and Trish. There was a picnic blanket spread out on the sand with candles and dining ware. The picnic basket was filled with food specially made by Ally. He also had his guitar ready to play the song for Cassidy. Austin was pacing rather nervously waiting for Cassidy's arrival.

"Wow, this looks nice."

Austin stopped pacing and turned to see Cassidy. "Cassidy, hi!" He helped her take a seat.

"My, what a gentleman."

Austin grinned and blushed a little. He started taking the food out of the basket and setting them on the blanket. Cassidy was amazed at all the food that Austin had brought along.

"Did you make all this?" She said taking a bite out of the sandwich. "Yum."

"Nah, I can't cook for my life." Austin laughed. "Ally made all this for our date. She's awesome that way."

Cassidy just smiled. They ate and talked for a while until Austin decided it was time for him to play the song.

"So uh Cassidy, I wrote a song for you." Austin said as he stood up.

Cassidy looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, do you want to hear it?"

"Of course blondy, I'd love to."

Austin picked up his guitar and started playing.

_**Heart thumping, stomach churning**_

_**Hands shaking, breath intensifying**_

_**It's all because of you**_

_**And only you**_

Austin's mind wandered as he played, he thought about so many things.

_**I constantly think about you**_

_**Can't get you out of my mind**_

_**You're the one for me**_

_**And I hope you can see**_

He thought about all the emotion that lies within the song and how Ally tapped perfectly into his feelings. She knew him so well.

_**When I'm with you I'm the happiest I can be**_

_**You turn my world upside down**_

_**And make me want to shine**_

_**You're awesome**_

"So what do you think?" Austin smiled proudly. "Ally helped me write that song."

"Ally did?" Cassidy smiled, it looked kind of forced actually. "It's a beautiful song really, I love it."

Austin beamed. "Thanks Cassidy!" Austin took a seat and they continued their picnic.

"I'm having a great time with you Cassidy." Austin said looking at Cassidy.

"Me too blondy." Cassidy took a sip of her soda, holding her breath. "But...I don't think we should date anymore."

Austin immediately stopped what he was doing and stared at Cassidy, shocked.

"What? Why?" He managed to say, still confused as to what Cassidy just said.

"Austin, I'm not the girl for you."

Austin gaped at her; she's never really called him by his name. She would always call him by the cute nickname.

"What are you talking about Cassidy?"

"I don't think you like me as much as you think." Cassidy looked at the ground and played with her food, avoiding eye contact.

"I…still don't understand. I like you a lot Cassidy." Austin clenched his shirt.

"Yeah, but not enough to be more than just friends."

"Are you…breaking up with me?" Austin still couldn't believe what was going on.

Cassidy looked into Austin's eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry Austin."

"But…I"

"You still don't get it do you?" Cassidy asked as Austin shook his head. "Austin, do you love Ally?"

"Of course I do, she's my best friend. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Cassidy took a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure you love Ally more than you think."

"Are you implying that I have romantic feelings for my best friend?"

"Austin…" She put her hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her hand off. "I don't like Ally that way okay."

"You talk about her every chance you get, even during our dates. The way you sang that song, I'm pretty sure you were thinking about Ally."

"No way, Ally's my best friend."

"I'm sorry Austin." Cassidy stood up. "We can still be friends."

Austin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Sure, whatever." But he didn't even look at Cassidy; he just looked at the ground.

Cassidy apologized again and said her goodbyes as she left.

Austin was crushed; he was still processing the events that just happened. Why would Cassidy suggest such a thing? He wasn't in love with Ally; they're partners and best friends, nothing more. Deciding that there was nothing more to do, Austin packed all the stuff and headed home.

* * *

Austin lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, confusion clouding his mind. At times like these, when he needed to talk about his feelings, he would usually call Ally and they would talk for hours. But there was no way he was going to call Ally about this problem, so he decided to call Dez. He scrolled through the contacts on his phone and called Dez.

"Yellow? Get it, because it sounds like 'hello'?" Dez laughed at himself. "Oh, I crack myself up sometimes."

Austin chuckled just a little bit, still not feeling very upbeat. "Dez, I need someone to talk to. Could you come over?"

"Sure dude, I'm on my way."

Austin hung up and sighed. _'What a mess.'_

It wasn't long before Dez finally arrived at Austin's place.

"I'm here!" Dez announced.

"Great, I need to talk, about feelings."

"Feelings? Isn't that usually Ally's department?" Dez said as he bounced to Austin's bed and sat down.

"Yeah well, this is something I can't talk to Ally about."

"Okay, tell me how you feel." Dez said taking a notepad and a pen as if he was a therapist.

Austin lay down on his bed again and began telling the events that occurred during his date with Cassidy. He told Dez about how he sang her a song, how she loved it and how she said they shouldn't date anymore.

"Why did she say that? I thought she loved the song?" Dez asked doodling on the notepad as opposed to writing things Austin was saying.

"Well, she said…" Austin hesitated, playing with the bedsheets. "…that I'm in love with someone else."

"Really? Who?"

Austin took a deep breath. "Ally…" Dez's eyes went wide. "And this is why I called you instead of Ally."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you in love with Ally?" Dez asked while biting the tip of the pen.

"Ally's my best friend; I don't want to jeopardize that."

"Yeah okay, you don't want to jeopardize the friendship, but are you in love with her? Simple, yes or no question."

"I love her, yes, she's my best friend. But I'm not in love with her."

"Maybe you love her more than you think." The way Dez said it was similar to the way Cassidy said it.

Austin was speechless, hearing that again was like a slap in the face, and heart. _'I…love Ally?' _He just couldn't believe it, why would both Cassidy and Dez suggest the same thing?

"I'm not in love with my best friend." Austin said as he looked to the nightstand. There were picture frames, one of him and Dez when they were kids playing at the beach; there was also a group photo of Team Austin when he won his first award. But the one he looked at was the picture of him and Ally on the piano writing a song together. They were smiling and having fun, Austin always had fun with Ally. She may be a stick-in-the-mud sometimes, but Austin knew how to bring out the fun side of Ally. He loved Ally; she was special and a very close friend, but more than friends? "Ally…" He said softly and sighed.

Dez noticed Austin staring at the picture. _'You are so in love with her.'_

* * *

**Ladies and gentlemen, Auslly is in the house! (Well, almost. :P)**_  
_


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's another chapter! So Austin has been told that maybe he loves Ally more than he thinks. Will he realize his feelings here? Or will I be evil and not let Austin realize his feelings yet? Read to find out! ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

The sound of the piano resonated through the practice room; Ally was playing some songs while waiting for Austin to arrive. They were supposed to be working on a couple songs today but Austin was late. She waited though, it was normal for Austin to be a little late. Ally has been getting used to being around Austin without getting too nervous, she still gets a little flushed though.

"Ally, I'm so sorry I'm late." Austin rushed in out of breath.

Ally laughed and grabbed some water from the fridge for Austin. "Don't worry about it, here." She handed him the water and he took it, immediately drinking it.

"Thanks Ally." He finished the water and threw the bottle in the recycling bin. "Sorry again, I kind of overslept. I didn't sleep too well last night." He was too busy thinking about Cassidy and the date and not to mention Ally and his feelings.

"We can work on the song some other time if you're feeling tired."

"No, I'm fine. Let's start." He smiled at Ally and she blushed.

They both took a seat in front of the piano. They played for a little while, coming up with bits of things here and there. But it seems like they were both just not into it, especially Austin. Ally noticed that Austin was a little out of his game. He's usually very energetic and upbeat when it comes to the songwriting process.

"You okay Austin?"

Austin didn't answer for a while. "Huh, what?" Yeah, Austin was totally distracted by something. "I'm sorry Ally; I just had a really hard day yesterday. Cassidy, she kind of broke up with me."

Any normal girl that likes Austin would jump up in the air and cheer with joy about the breakup, but not Ally. She truly felt bad about Austin's heartbreak; she wanted her best friend to feel better.

"I'm so sorry Austin." She hugged him, she didn't ask why or anything, she just hugged him tight. Austin hugged back; he was amazed at how much Ally was making him feel better by just a simple hug. They let go after a while and just sat there, enjoying each other's company. They didn't talk; they just looked at each other. Austin grew a little blush thinking about the hug with Ally, he looked away hiding his red face.

"So do you want to talk about it?" Ally said as she put her hand on his lap.

Austin quickly stood up at the contact, stammering a little as he spoke. "I uh, I'm not feeling to well actually, so I'm going to head home. Bye Ally." He dashed out of the practice room before Ally could respond.

Ally just stared at the door. "That was kind of odd, even for Austin." She sighed. "I guess heartbreak can do crazy things to you, I should know."

* * *

Austin ran off, not knowing exactly where he was going. He stopped once he felt like he was far enough. _'Why did I just run away from Ally?' _He thought as he took a seat on an empty bench. His heart was racing and not because he was running away so fast. Did he feel nervous, around Ally? Austin never feels nervous, he's Austin Moon! The only other time he felt nervous was around Cassidy, because he had feelings her. _'I love Ally?'_ He shook his head trying to get the thought out of his head. "NO WAY!" Austin screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Maybe you love her more than you think." Now he's hallucinating, he's hearing Dez saying that sentence over and over again. Austin sighed and looked to his side to see Dez, actually whispering in his ear.

"Dez!" Austin startled, swatted a fudge brownie out of Dez's hand.

Dez looked at the brownie that was now lying on the ground. "Aw, my brownie…" He frowned. "So, what's up dude?"

"What on earth are you doing here?" Austin asked.

"I saw you running away from Sonic Boom and so I followed you. Aren't you supposed to be practicing with Ally?" He picked up the fallen brownie, took a look at it and proceeded to take a bite. "Not bad."

"I felt sick so I left early, and that's kind of gross Dez."

"Hey, five second rule." He offered the brownie to Austin. "Want some? It's filled with fudgy goodness."

"No thanks." Austin pushed Dez's hand away. "So why were you whispering in my ear earlier."

"Oh I was just being that voice of reason in your head, like in the movies."

"What you said made no sense."

Dez whispered again. "Maybe you love her more than you think."

"Stop it." Austin walked away.

Dez followed him whispering again. "Maybe you love her more than you think." This time he was doing some weird hand gestures.

Austin stopped and stared at his best friend. "I love Ally the way I've always loved Ally, as my best friend."

"What happened in the practice room begs to differ." Dez licked his chocolate covered fingers.

"Wait, you were spying on us?"

"Not on purpose. I accidentally left the camera I used for your webcast on. I saw everything from my laptop."

"Not cool Dez."

"I think it's cute that you're in love with Ally now. Actually, it took you long enough."

"I never said I was in love with Ally." Austin said.

"Puh-lease. I saw you last night, staring at the picture of you and Ally. And I saw the way you looked at her today and that hug too."

"No way, you're delusional." Austin turned his back to Dez.

Dez scrunched his nose and thought of something. "Oh hey Ally."

"What?!" Austin immediately turned to see, no one. He looked at Dez who was just smiling. "You tricked me, why?"

"Because if you weren't in love with Ally you wouldn't be so nervous or jumpy around her and your reaction just now confirms that you love her," Austin tried to speak up but Dez shushed him, "more, than just best friends."

Austin didn't answer this time, he just thought. About Ally, when they first met, their friendship, their relationship, the memories, everything. He thought about how Ally has always been there for him, they were supposed to be best friends forever.

"Maybe you love her more than you think." Austin thought long and hard about what Dez said. Or rather is still saying in his ear.

Austin looked at Dez. "I get it Dez, let me think."

Dez grinned. "Sorry."

Austin smiled and went back to his train of thought. He never thought of Ally more than just as his best friend. When Austin thought that Ally had a crush on him he tried his best to make her unlike him. It wasn't because the thought of her liking him was repulsive; he treasured their friendship and would never want to ruin it. He sighed even more confused than ever.

"Hey look, Ally's playing a new song." Dez was on his laptop which was still connected to the camera in the practice room.

"Stop spying on her Dez."

"Shh, this song sounds good." Dez turned up the volume on the laptop. Austin decided to take a seat and listen.

He was mesmerized by the way she was playing. Ally had a beautiful voice, there was no denying that. But not just her voice, Ally was beautiful in general. Austin loved her silky dark brown hair, her hazel eyes that would always look at him with such care and her lovely smile that can bring him out of any slump. She was a beautiful person on the inside too, which is what Austin loves the most about Ally.

"Dude, you're staring again." Dez said snapping his fingers in front of Austin's face.

"Uh, I wasn't, it's just that…" Austin trailed off, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"You love her more than you think." Dez whispered.

"I love her more than I think…" Austin was still watching Ally not realizing what he just said.

"Hah!" Dez stood pointed at Austin who finally snapped out of his trance. "You are SO in LOVE with ALLY!"

Austin grabbed Dez's mouth and shushed him. "Keep it down; are you trying to tell the entire mall?"

"Actually, I am. AUSTIN LOV—" Before Dez could say anymore Austin covered his mouth and sat him down.

"You're so evil sometimes."

Dez smirked. "Just helping my best friend realize his true feelings. Aren't I the best friend ever?" He batted his eyes, Austin laughed at his red haired friend. "So Austin, do you know how you feel about Ally now?"

Austin looked back at the screen, Ally has stopped playing and started writing in her song book. Austin smiled. "I've fallen for my best friend."

* * *

**AND THE TRUTH COMES OUT! I'm so excited! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Aaaaaand here's another chapter! :D Yay!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Austin was pacing nervously at the beach; he hasn't spoken to Ally ever since he realized his feelings. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to risk their friendship by telling her how he feels, but he didn't want to keep his feelings locked up either. Austin screamed into the ocean releasing all the tension inside him.

"That was intense."

Austin turned to see where the voice was coming from. "Dez."

"You know you should just tell her. It's not good to hold in your feelings like that." Dez said. "Besides, have you noticed that you've been unintentionally avoiding Ally because of your feelings?"

Austin stared at Dez, amazed. "Wow Dez, I never knew you were so observant."

"I'm just full of surprises." Dez grinned, proud of himself. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, now when I get near her I get all nervous. If I did tell her how I feel and she doesn't feel the same way then our friendship will be ruined." Austin sighed and kicked the sand. "And I would never risk our friendship like that."

"What if she feels the same way?"

"What are the chances of that? And even if she does feel the same way, what if we break up? Things will be awkward, and again, our friendship will be ruined."

Dez put a hand on Austin's shoulder. "Look Austin, you keep saying how you and Ally are the best of friends, partners. If you guys truly have that strong bond as friends then nothing can get in the way of it, even your feelings. Say you guys do date and then break up or she rejects you, because of your strong bond, you guys will still be best friends."

Austin was shocked; Dez really can be deep at times. "You're right. But I still can't tell her how I feel. You know how bad I am at expressing my feelings; I always need Ally's help. And I can't ask Ally to help me express my feelings for Ally." Austin scratched his head, confused as what to do.

"Just wait until the time is right young grasshopper." Dez said sounding like a wise master. "It'll come to you."

Austin sighed. "I hope so."

* * *

"Ally, I'm bored." Trish whined while flipping through the magazines in Sonic Boom. "Let's go do something."

"I'm working Trish, maybe later." Ally was doing some inventory.

"Fine." Trish continued flipping through the magazine. "So how are you and Austin doing?"

"What do you mean how are we doing?" She said not taking her eyes off of her clipboard.

"Now that Cassidy's out of the way, are you going to tell him how you feel?"

Ally looked at Trish. "I told you, I don't want things to be different between us."

"Things are already different between you two, ever since you realized your feelings. Have you noticed that lately you've been unintentionally avoiding Austin? The more intense your feelings get, the more you avoid him."

"No I haven't." Ally continued to inspect the instruments.

"Oh hey Austin." Trish said.

Ally quickly hid under the counter. "I'm not here!"

Trish chuckled. "He's not here and I told you so." Trish said as she looked over the counter.

Ally emerged from behind the counter. "Okay fine, it's just that every time I see him I get really nervous. But not like when I was around Dallas. It's…different." She stared into the distance.

"That's because you had a crush a Dallas. With Austin, you're in love!" Trish put emphasis on the word 'love'. "You can't keep avoiding him."

"Yeah, well what else can I do?"

Trish put her arm around Ally's shoulder. "Do I need to spell it out for you? Tell. Him. How. You. Feel."

"No." Ally walked away and Trish followed. "If he doesn't feel the same way then I would just be messing up our friendship. And I don't think I can handle not having Austin in my life."

"You love him so much." Trish giggled at her lovesick friend. "What if he feels the same way?"

"This is the guy that turned orange and sweaty so I wouldn't like him, I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way. Besides, if I can't love him as a lover, I'm fine with loving him as just a friend." Ally sniffled.

* * *

A few days have passed since Austin realized his feelings for Ally and he finally decided to tell her how he feels. Their friendship has been strained for the past few days because of their unknown romantic feelings for each other. Austin was at the food court, he knew that Ally always takes her breaks there and waited for her to come. He kept glancing at his watch nervously, thinking about every possible scenario. Then she saw her, walking through the crowd of people, looking as beautiful as ever. Austin was temporarily distracted; he fixed his hair and walked towards Ally.

"Hey Ally." He smiled nervously.

Ally was surprised to see Austin considering the fact that they haven't properly seen each other in days. "Austin, hi."

"So uh, I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" He gestured to an empty table and took a seat.

Ally hesitated for a while but finally gave in. "Yeah, sure." She took a seat next to Austin. Unknown to the two, a few tables away is Trish and Dez, in disguise of course.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Trish said peeking from her magazine. She was wearing a red wig and some dark sunglasses.

"Not with you talking, so be quite." Dez shushed her. He was wearing a curly brown wig and a mustache. Austin and Ally were too distracted with each other to notice their oddly disguised friends.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Ally said as she played with her hair.

"Ally you're my best friend." Austin had a hard time deciding on the words to use. "And our friendship means the world to me."

Ally started gripping on her hair even tighter. "You're my best friend too Austin. But where is this going?"

Trish and Dez were at the edge of their seat, listening. Dez was chewing on some popcorn while Trish had half a mind to speed up the process; her two friends were too dense sometimes.

"You and I both know that something different has been going on between us." Austin looked into Ally's eyes. She stopped playing with her hair.

'_Oh no, Austin found out about my feelings. He's going to hate me now, I've ruined our friendship!' _Ally mentally hit herself. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself just thinking about it.

"Ally," Austin took Ally's hands, "I love you." Ally's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. "I love you more than just as best friends." Ally was speechless she didn't know what to say. Dez and Trish on the other hand, were squealing like fan girls.

"Austin, I…I'm sorry, I…I can't." Ally got up and hurried away before Austin could say anything. Austin was shocked, Ally rejected him.

"I'm an idiot, I just ruined our friendship." Austin hit the table and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

**What?! Ally, why did you run away?! WHY?!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I love this chapter. ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Trish and Dez's eyes were wide, their mouth hung open. Austin was still sulking, blaming himself for ruining the friendship.

"What just happened?" Trish asked; confused at the events that just unfolded.

"I think Ally said no." Dez was also very baffled at what just happened. "I thought you said Ally felt the same way?"

"She does! I just don't understand why she ran off like that." Trish managed to compose herself. "I'm going to go after her, you go talk to Austin. It can't end like this." Dez nodded and made his way to where Austin was.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Dez sat down on the empty chair.

"I can't believe I did that. Now she'll never talk to me again." Austin punched the table.

"Don't blame the table dude." Dez patted Austin on the back. "Maybe you were telling her wrong. You know how girls like romantic things, especially Ally. Try again Austin, this time instead of telling her how you feel, show her how you feel."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Do what you're the best at, singing. Sing her that song you've been working on."

"Dez that's a brilliant idea!" Austin chuckled. "Wow, I never thought I'd say that."

Dez grinned. "I have my moments."

* * *

"Ally, wait for me." Trish was chasing Ally through the mall. For someone with a petite body, Ally sure can run fast. "Ally, stop, please."

"What?" Ally snapped. Trish was a little surprised; Ally wasn't the kind of person that would snap at someone like that. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that Trish. It's just…I…I don't know." She sat down at an empty bench.

"Ally…" Trish sat down next to her. "Why did you run off like that?"

"Were you spying?"

"Sort of." Trish grinned at her. "Anyways, Austin just told you that he loves you and now he thinks that you don't feel the same way."

"He probably hates me right now." Ally took a deep breath. "I don't know why I ran. I guess I was just, scared." Ally chewed on a few strands of hair.

"What are you scared of? He loves you and you love him."

Ally looked at the ground. "I was afraid of us, as in me and Austin, together." She started to cry a little. "What if we date and he finds out that I'm not that great of a person and breaks up with me? What if he gets bored of me and stops loving me? What if he—"

Trish interrupted Ally by covering her mouth. "Stop thinking about the negative and start thinking about the positive." Trish whipped some of Ally's tears away. "What if you guys end up together for a very long time? What if being with Austin will be the happiest moments of your life? What if Austin is the one?"

"Trish…"

"Take a leap of faith." Trish smiled. "That's right, I can be sensitive."

Ally giggled, she felt so lucky to have a best friend like Trish who can really rise to the occasion. "You're right Trish."

"Aren't I always? Now go tell him how you feel."

* * *

Austin was waiting for Ally at Sonic Boom, he finally decided on singing the song he wrote for her. Ally also decided to talk to Austin about why she ran away. Ally finally arrived and they came face to face.

"I need to tell you something." They said simultaneously.

"Uh, can I go first?" Austin said. Ally smiled and nodded. "I have something I want to show you. Come with me." Ally followed Austin to the practice room where Dez was waiting. He handed Austin his guitar and ushered Ally to take a seat.

"This way milady." Ally took a seat and Dez went to stand next to the door with Trish who had just arrived.

"I wrote this song for you Ally." He smiled at her. "It explains how I feel about you."

_**I know we've been friends forever  
But now I think I'm feeling something totally new  
And after all this time, I've opened up my eyes  
Now I see, you were always with me**_

_**Could it be, you and I never imagined**_  
_**Could it be, suddenly I'm falling for you**_  
_**Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never**_  
_**knew**_  
_**Could it be that it's true that it's you**_  
_**That it's you**_

_**Its kind of funny you were always here**_  
_**But who would ever that thought we would end up here**_  
_**And every time I've need you you've been there for me**_  
_**Now it's clear I've been waiting for you**_

_**Could it be, you and I never imagined  
Could it be, suddenly I'm falling for you  
Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never  
knew  
Could it be that it's true that it's you  
Oh, that it's you**_

_**Cause today is the start of the rest of our lives**_  
_**I can see it in your eyes**_  
_**And it's real and it's true**_  
_**And it's just me and you**_  
_**Could it be that it's you, that it's you**_

_**Could it be, you and I never imagined  
Could it be, suddenly I'm falling for you  
Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never  
knew  
Could it be that it's true that it's you  
Oh, that it's you**_

Ally was in tears, she's never heard of something so full of emotion. Austin was caught off guard by Ally's sudden crying. He was also surprised when Ally suddenly hugged him. Austin didn't think much, he just hugged her tightly. Ally whispered in Austin's ear. "I love you Austin."

Dez and Trish awed at their friends. Austin and Ally let go of each other, they looked at Dez and Trish who have been watching them the entire time.

"Right, you want to be alone now, we get it." Trish couldn't help but smile at the two. "Let's go Dez." She grabbed Dez by the collar and pulled him out.

"Aw, but I want to watch." Dez pouted. Austin and Ally laughed at their friends.

"So did you write that song on your own? It's beautiful." Ally said, a small blush growing on her cheeks.

Austin was also blushing. "Yeah, it kind of came to me one night."

"Looks like you won't need me as a songwriter." Ally joked.

"No, I'll always need you Ally." He took Ally's hands and looked deep into her eyes. "I can't imagine a world where we didn't meet. Ally Dawson, you are my best friend and that will never change, but will you be my girlfriend too?"

Ally started tearing up a little. "Yes, absolutely." She hugged him again and they stayed embracing each other for a while.

Meanwhile, outside the practice room, Trish and Dez were watching everything via Dez's laptop. The camera in the practice room was still on and connected.

"Finally, took them long enough." Trish said, she smiled at Austin and Ally hugging.

"Yeah, any longer and we might have taken actions into our own hands." Dez said giving Trish a high five. "We did a good job Trish."

"For once, I agree with you carrot top." She smiled at him. "But now the fun part begins."

Dez looked at her puzzled. "Which is?"

"Teasing Austin and Ally about the fact that they're a couple now." Trish smirked.

Dez nodded his head repeatedly. "Oh yeah."

* * *

**And all together now, 'awwwwww'.**

**I don't own the song that Austin sings, it's 'Could It Be' by Christy Carlson Romano from Kim Possible. I was going to write something original but this song is just so perfect for Austin and Ally so I just had to use it.  
**

**Anyways, it's not over yet. There are still some obstacles that Austin and Ally need to overcome, as a couple. :)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Think of this as the beginning of a new arc in my story. Previously Austin and Ally had to face obstacles that prevented them from realizing their feeling for each other. Now they face new obstacles as couple.  
**

**Hope you like it. :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Ally woke up smiling; she was in such a cheerful mood. Just the other day, Austin confessed his feelings for her and she can't get the memory out of her head. She hummed the song Austin sang for her yesterday as she got ready for work. She didn't even mind that she had to work early in the morning on a Saturday.

"You seem to be in a happy mood."

Ally, startled by the voice, tripped and fell on the floor. She looked up to see who was talking. "Trish! What are you doing here?"

Trish helped her fallen friend up. "I just came by to see how you're doing now that you have a boyfriend!"

Ally immediately turned beet red. "Trish! I need to get ready for work!" She ran into the bathroom and Trish just laughed at the flushed Ally.

Trish was waiting on Ally's bed as she got ready, she definitely enjoys teasing Ally. Before Austin and Ally met, Ally had a couple of crushes and went on a couple of dates, but Trish would never approve of them. With Austin, she knew he would never hurt Ally and could trust him. After about half an hour Ally finally emerged from the bathroom.

"You took your sweet time." Trish chuckled. "Trying to look pretty for Austin?"

Ally looked away and blushed fiercely. "No."

"Oh Ally, you're so adorable when you're shy. Come here, I'll help you with your hair." Trish grabbed a brush and plugged in the hair dryer.

"Thanks Trish." Ally took a seat in front of her mirror and let Trish do her hair.

"So when are you guys going to have your first date?"

Talking about all this was overwhelming for Ally, she stammered at some of her words. "Um, well he's taking me out for dinner tonight." The thought of a date with Austin made Ally blush so hard.

"That's great, are you guys going to have your first kiss then?"

Ally nearly choked. "K-kiss?"

"Uh yeah, you guys just hugged yesterday. When are we going to get some lip action?"

"Trish!" Ally buried her face in her hands turning very red.

Trish laughed. "So how does it feel dating the Austin Moon, superstar? I'm pretty sure you'll be making a lot of teenage girls jealous."

"Well I'm not dating the Austin Moon, superstar. I'm dating Austin, my best friend." Ally blushed a little at the word 'dating'.

"I'm a bit worried about the fans though, and the press too. It's been great that the press has been able to leave Austin alone when it comes to his personal life. But now that there's a girlfriend involved I'm pretty sure every tabloid in the country wants a piece of the news." Trish finished up with Ally's hair and went to put the hair dryer and brush away.

"I hope they don't make a big deal out of it." Ally looked at herself in the mirror, Trish did a great job. Well, she did get fired from a beauty salon once.

"Don't worry, as Austin's manager I'll make sure that you two get your privacy." Trish gave Ally a thumbs up.

Ally gave Trish a hug. "Thanks Trish, you rock."

* * *

Austin on the other hand woke up a little drowsy; he couldn't sleep last night because he was so happy thinking about Ally and how they're together now. Remembering that they had a date tonight, he immediately sat up straight and stretched.

"Tonight has to be perfect." He got himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

"Hi Ally's boyfriend!" Dez came dancing into Austin's room.

Austin turned bright pink at Dez's comment. "Dez! What are you doing here?! And stop saying things like that." Austin continued to head to the bathroom.

"You asked me to help plan your date remember? And it's true, you are Ally's boyfriend." Dez smirked.

"That doesn't mean you should scream it out loud and call me that."

"Is Austin Moon shy?"

"No, now let me shower." He quickly went into the bathroom.

"Okay, go look handsome for Ally." Dez chuckled, he definitely enjoyed teasing Austin.

Dez was glad that Austin was happy. There were so many random girls that Austin dated in the past, most of them didn't like Dez because of his quirkiness; they thought he was weird and odd. But hey, that's what made Dez unique. With Ally, Dez could be himself and he also knew that Ally wouldn't hog his best friend like most of the other girls did. After a few minutes Austin finished up in the bathroom.

"So what do you have planned for tonight?" Dez said playing with a yo-yo.

"I think I'll take her out to dinner." Austin was in front of the mirror, fixing his hair.

"It has to be perfect if you want her to kiss you."

Austin's dropped his comb from the shock. "K-kiss?"

"Oh, you don't want to kiss Ally?" Dez rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking.

"I-I do, of course." Austin has never felt so nervous and shy in his life. He tried hiding his red face from Dez.

"Austin, Austin, Austin." Dez chuckled. "Anyways, where are you taking her?"

Austin composed himself. "She has work all day today. So tonight, I'm going to take her on a relaxing dinner at that rooftop restaurant. I know how much Ally loves looking into the sky. It's going to be perfect!"

* * *

"Thanks for shopping at Sonic Boom." Ally handed her last costumer his change and closed the store. "Finally, the day is done. I'm so tired."

Trish rushed in, out of breath. "Quick, lock the doors!"

"Uh, I'm about to. What's going on?" Ally quickly locked the doors and looked at Trish confused.

Trish grabbed Ally's hand and dragged her up the stairs. Just as they were about to enter the practice room there was banging on the door. Hoards of paparazzi were flashing their cameras and asking questions trying to get through the door.

"Ugh, they're like zombies." They went into the practice room and closed the door. "I knew this was going to happen, I just didn't think they'd find out so soon." Trish was on full manager mode; she pulled out her cell and started making some calls.

Ally, as per usual, started chewing on her hair. "I can't believe this is happening. They've been leaving Austin alone, why now?"

"Well, because you and Austin, the songwriter and the rocker, have been on media speculation for a while now. A lot of people knew you guys would eventually date, heck you and Austin are the last people to actually figure it out, which is really funny. I mean did it really take you guys that long to realize your feelings? I mean any later and I would've rented a billboard or a sky writer or—"

Ally cleared her throat. "I get it, Trish. Thanks."

Trish grinned and made a few calls. "Okay, so the Miami police are coming, they should be here soon. Wow, the last time I had to call police was when Austin ripped his pants and the paparazzi were chasing him through the mall." Trish laughed at the memory. "That was so funny."

Just then the door was opened causing Ally and Trish to scream. Their screaming caused the people who came in to scream too.

"WHY ARE WE SCREAMING?!" Dez said a little confused.

"Austin, Dez, you scared us." Ally sighed with relief.

"Sorry about that." Austin went to hug Ally and she blushed at their new relationship. "We heard that there were police cars outside Sonic Boom and so we decided to come over."

"YEAH, AND WHEN WE CAME HERE AUSTIN WAS ATTACKED WITH QUESTIONS BY PAPARAZZI! I GUESS IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO COME HERE, BUT THEY'RE GONE NOW!" Dez screamed. "WHY AM I STILL SCREAMING?!"

Trish punched him in the stomach. "Don't worry, as your manager I have this all under control." The sound of banging started again; they looked out the window to see more paparazzi coming.

Austin held Ally tighter. "I'd hate to see out of control."

* * *

**Aww, protective Austin is so cute. With all the paparazzi I'm sure we'll see a lot more of this side of Austin. Ally, you're so lucky!**


	14. Chapter 14

**So this took longer than usual to write. Kind of got writers block/distracted along the way. :P  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

After a few hours of waiting in the practice room, the police managed to clear out the paparazzi. They were finally able to leave and head home, although it was too late for Austin and Ally to have their date.

"Hey Ally, sorry I didn't get to take you out today." Austin was clearly disappointed at their canceled date.

"It's okay; it's not your fault." Ally said, also sounding disappointed.

"How about we reschedule for tomorrow? You don't have work right? We can have a lunch date."

"Sounds great." Ally smiled and hugged him; they stayed in each other's arms for a while.

"Okay you two, enough of being cute." Trish said as she smirked and Dez giggled. "The police said they can drop you off at your homes so let's go."

* * *

Trish decided to stay the night at Ally's place to prepare her for her lunch date with Austin.

"What are you going to wear tomorrow?"

Ally thought for a bit. "Hmm, that blue dress I have."

"The one with flowers?" Trish asked and Ally nodded. "No, no, no, no, no."

"What, why?" Ally asked, confused but not really wanting to know because Trish will probably come up with some weird excuse.

"Because you look cute in it." Trish said. "Duh."

"You don't want me to wear it because I look cute? Oh, in that case I'll just wear a potato sack and look ugly." Ally said sarcastically. "What are you talking about Trish?"

Trish stood up and posed. "You need to look sexy!"

Ally felt her cheeks burn up. "Trish! I'm not going to look sexy for my date."

"Not with what you're planning on wearing."

"Trish." Ally shot daggers at her.

"Fine, fine, you're no fun." Trish gave up trying to persuade Ally. "But you're still wearing something else. Hello, this is your first date with Austin, it needs to be perfect."

* * *

Austin was nervously trying to plan the lunch date with Ally. Seeing as Austin hardly ever gets nervous show's how much Ally affects him. He felt really bad about all the paparazzi trapping them in the practice room so he was determined to make this first date memorable. Austin was currently planning on how to get to the restaurant unnoticed. If they manage to get to the restaurant without being followed then their date should go smoothly. Austin made sure to call the manager and ask for a private spot. A knock on the door interrupted Austin's thinking.

Austin opened the door to see an oddly dressed hobo. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Austin Moon." His voice was raspy.

"Do I know you?"

"For about twelve years now." Now his voice sounded normal, almost familiar to Austin.

"Dez?"

The mystery man pulled down his beard to reveal his face. "You asked for a costume consultant?"

"Whoa, that's awesome!"

* * *

The next day, early in the morning, Austin and Dez went to Ally's house to get the disguises ready. Dez brought along suitcases filled with all kinds of costumes he had previously used in his movies. There were costumes ranging from an alien to a fairy.

"Okay how about this." Dez took out a horse head. "Ally can be the head and Austin can be the tail. No one will notice you."

"Don't you think it'll be weird to see a horse in the mall going into a restaurant?" Austin said picking up the tail end of the costume.

Dez gave the head to Ally. "No, why would it be weird?"

"Of course he doesn't think it's weird, he probably goes on dates with horses all the time." Trish smirked triumphantly. These two frenemies would always make fun of each other; it's been somewhat of a routine and competition for them.

"Maybe we should try something else." Ally said putting down the head.

Dez pulled out another costume from the suitcase, a mask and a shuriken. "Ninjas! You can never see them coming, it'll be perfect!"

"Are you sure I can't hit him?" Trish picked up a bat from the costume suitcase.

"No." Both Austin and Ally shook their head.

"You know Dez, I was thinking of something simple. Like a wig and sunglasses?" Ally said, rummaging through the costumes.

"Fine, we can be boring." Dez took out a couple of wigs, one black and one brown. Next he grabbed some outfits, two suits that looked like they came out of a crime drama. And last but not least, some cool shades.

"Perfect!" Austin took his shades and put them on.

"Okay, how about this. You guys will be two business associates on a lunch meeting. You guys will leave separately and meet up there. Dez and I will be waiting at the restaurant with your normal clothes so you can change." Being Austin's manager for so long made Trish really good with cover stories, plus she's good liar.

"Great, I can't wait. I'll see you later Ally." He gave her a long hug and went on his way.

Ally sighed dreamily as Austin left. "Bye Austin."

"Hello, earth to Ally." Trish was waving her hand in front of Ally's face, but she didn't notice. She was too busy daydreaming. "ALLY!"

Ally finally snapped out of her trance. "Huh, what?"

Trish laughed and grabbed Ally's hand. "Let's go figure out what to wear."

* * *

A few hours later, Austin and Ally managed to leave their house unnoticed. The met at the mall fountain and headed for the restaurant together. During their walk they were silent, but it wasn't and odd silence it was a comfortable silence. Both were anxious to finally have their date. They successfully made it to the restaurant without being followed by paparazzi. Once inside they met Trish and Dez and changed from their costumes.

Austin had finished changing earlier than Ally and waited at their table. He always wondered why girls took so long to change. Austin was wearing some jeans topped with a white t-shirt, a plaid shirt over it and some red sneakers. After a few minutes of waiting, Ally finally finished changing and made her way to the table. Austin's heart did a backflip then a cartwheel then almost fell out of his body. Ally was wearing a beautiful red dress that flowed to her knees, a black cardigan and some flats. There was a hint of makeup on her face but not too much.

After staring for a while Austin finally managed to gather up some words to say. "Wow, you look beautiful Ally." He stood up and helped her take a seat. They sat next to each other facing the view of the ocean.

Ally bit her lip and smiled. "Thanks Austin, you look beautiful too." Ally was distracted by how cute Austin looked. "I-I mean handsome, yeah that."

"Thanks Ally." Austin smiled and put his hand over her shoulders.

"Wow, look at all the clouds." Ally's love for cloud watching has never changed. Sometimes she would go to the roof of her house and stare at the clouds for hours. "Thanks Austin, this is great."

"Anything for you Ally." Austin couldn't help but smile at how beautiful Ally looked. He loved every detail about her. Sure at first he thought cloud watching was boring, actually he still does, but the fact that Ally loved it was good enough for him.

They talked, they laughed, and they had a wonderful time enjoying each other's company. At first they felt nervous and shy around each other, but as the time passed Austin felt so natural around Ally and Ally felt so calm around Austin. They definitely felt comfortable around each other. Everything was going smoothly by the time dessert came.

Looking at Ally, all Austin could think about was kissing her. Before he realized his feelings the thought of kissing Ally might've been wired, but right now, it felt like the right thing to do.

"Hey Ally." He said softly, taking her hand in the process.

Ally stopped looking at the clouds and turned her attention to Austin. "Hmm?"

Austin leaned forward; Ally, knowing what was going to happen, blushed and immediately closed her eyes and did the same. Unfortunately, before they got any closer a teenage girl popped out of nowhere and interrupted their moment.

"Austin hi! I'm a huge fan; can I have your autograph?"

Austin and Ally quickly separated, blushing. "Um, I'm kind of busy. Maybe some other time." Austin's not a very violent person but he felt like punching the fan for ruining his almost kiss with Ally.

"Aw, come on, please?" The fan was persistent; she kept giving the pen and paper to Austin.

"Go ahead Austin, I don't mind." Ally smiled.

"Okay, I guess." He gave the fan his autograph, just as he finished signing more fans began to gather and ask for autographs. It kind of got out of control and so Trish, who had been watching all this time, had to intervene.

"Move, get out of my way, back off. HEY!" Trish yelled at the top of her lungs. "Let's get out of here. Dez, distraction, now." Trish grabbed Austin and Ally made their way out of the crowd.

"I am the amazing Dezmo! Check out what I can do." Dez pulled on the table cloth, instead of just the cloth being pulled off; all of the table's contents flew and hit the fans. Food was scattered everywhere. "Thanks for watching, bye!" He scurried off before they could react.

They ran for Sonic Boom and made their way to the practice room.

"Thanks Trish." Ally was still trying to catch her breath.

"That got ugly real fast." Austin was definitely pissed and their almost kiss getting interrupted. "Yesterday press, today fans. Unbelievable."

"It comes with the territory, you know that Austin." Ally held his hand, comforting Austin. He was definitely calmer now, and not to mention redder in the face. "Don't worry Austin; I'm sure things will eventually cool off."

"Ally's right, this is recent news, that's why everyone is so obsessed. Remember when your pants fell down during that interview with millions of viewers? Man, that was all over the news for like a month." Trish laughed and Austin gave her daggers. "I mean, that was horrible. I'm going to go check on Dez, later!"

Ally giggled. "It was kind of funny, and you were wearing the cutest boxers."

Austin smiled at how cute Ally's giggle is. "You're really lucky you're adorable or I might have to kill you." He attacked Ally and tickled her.

"I'm sorry!" Ally laughed and tried to get away from Austin's grip. It was hard though, Austin is pretty strong. After a while they got tired and Austin let go.

"Another date ruined huh?" Austin sighed and sat on the piano bench.

Ally took a seat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It wasn't all that ruined. I had a great time with you Austin."

"Want to try again? How about the movies this time, no one can see us in the dark." Austin smiled at her.

Ally giggled. "Sounds awesome."

* * *

**No one can see you _kiss_ in the dark, is that what you're trying to say Austin? Hahaha.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Ally was getting ready for her date with Austin at the movies. They decided to wait a few days to go out again after the incident that happened during their last date. As usual, Trish was there helping Ally with her wardrobe choices. It was 6 pm and they agreed on meeting at the theater at 7 pm, which means that Ally had around an hour to get ready.

After what seemed like forever, Ally was finally ready. It was 6:45; she had just enough time to head to the theater and be there by 7. Trish decided to tag along just in case another fan or paparazzi incident occurred. Once they arrived at the movie theater, Austin and Dez were already waiting by the snack counter. Ally immediately headed towards Austin and hugged him.

"Hey Ally." Austin said as he hugged her. "I got the tickets, and Dez has the popcorn."

They let go of each other. "Great, so is Dez joining us?" Ally asked as she took the popcorn.

"I am Austin's body guard." Dez put on some shades and posed. "He shall be safe with my presence."

"Great, we'll have a distraction again if something goes wrong. Dez here can use his stupidity to distract everyone." Trish said.

Austin and Ally laughed while Dez just pouted. "Okay guys, let's head in."

Once they were inside, Austin and Ally sat on the side trying to find a more secluded spot. Unfortunately, it was the first showing of the movie so the theater was packed. But they ignored it and tried to make the best of it. As long as they were together, and finally unnoticeable, then they're happy.

Half way through the movie, a bunch of teenage girls sitting behind them started gossiping. "Hey, doesn't the main character look like Austin Moon?" The first girl with blond hair said.

"Yeah, he does actually. They're both cute and sexy." The second girl, a brunette, giggled. Austin was doing his best trying to ignore the two girls, Ally held his hand trying to calm him down.

"Totally, unfortunately he's dating that Ally Dawson girl. I mean why? She's so bland and boring. I'm pretty sure I'd make a better girlfriend." And that's when Austin snapped.

"Who are you to talk about my best friend and girlfriend that way?!" Austin yelled at the girls so loud that the entire theater started staring.

"Austin Moon?!" The two girls said at the same time. They were shocked to actually see Austin there.

"I can't believe you'd talk about someone you don't know like that! It's disgusting, you two make me sick." Austin's darker side started to show. No one messes with the people he cares about.

"Austin, calm down, it's fine." Ally tugged on his shirt, trying to get him to sit back down.

"No it's not Ally. I can't just sit here while they insult you." Austin's fists were clenched. He turned his attention back to the two girls who were now too shocked and scared to do anything. "Apologize, now."

"W-were s-sorry!"

Trish and Dez were watching the entire thing. "Uh oh, time for some damage control. Dez, distraction, again." Trish went down to grab Austin and Ally and take them out of the theater.

"Umm, hey everyone, look at me! I am the amazing Dezmo and I will...uh...make myself disappear! Abra kadabye!" He covered himself with cloth and ran for the exit and joined the others.

They all decided to just head home and forget the whole thing happened. Fortunately for them, nothing else has happened, it seems like the paparazzi hasn't caught on to Austin's burst out. Austin felt terrible about another ruined date, this time, it really was his fault. If he hadn't snapped at the two girls, they might've had a good time.

They all walked home together, Dez and Trish's house were in the opposite direction of Austin and Ally's house so they said their goodbyes and went on their way. Austin offered to walk Ally home. They both walked in silence until they reached Ally's front door.

"Ally, I'm sorry so for what happened in the movie theater. It's my fault, I shouldn't have yelled." Austin felt horrible, he felt like such an idiot.

"No, you were defending me. Which was really sweet, and I love you for that." She hugged him and he hugged her back. They let go after a while and stared into each other's eyes, before closing their eyes and leaning in.

"Ally, you're home!"

They immediately separated, turning red in the face. Austin grunted, he couldn't believe they got interrupted, again. Ally's dad was at the door holding a tuba.

"I need your help cleaning all the tubas. Oh hi Austin, how are you?" Mr. Dawson said, clearly not noticing the teen's annoyance at his interruption.

"I'm fine Mr. Dawson, thanks. I have to get going, I'll see you tomorrow Ally. Bye Mr. Dawson." He shook Mr. Dawson's hand, gave Ally a quick hug and went on his way.

"Horrible timing Dad!" Ally rushed inside.

"It's never a bad time to clean tubas Ally!"

* * *

They had a Team Austin meeting the next day at the practice room. At first they were going to discuss an upcoming project, but something more urgent came up.

"So the press caught on to Austin's little freak out yesterday. Apparently some of the movie goers recorded it and uploaded it online." Trish opened an article on her myTAB. "Here's what the press thinks of Austin." She gave the myTAB to Austin.

"Austin Moon, who started his career as an internet sensation, was seen yelling at some fans during a movie yesterday night. Now that Austin has climbed the ladder of success has he become a diva?" Austin couldn't believe what he was reading. "They didn't even get all the facts right."

"That's the press, they twist everything against you. I'm currently trying to clear this up, don't worry. But that's still not the worst news I have." Trish took some letters from her bag. "Here are some fan letters, or actually more of hate mail."

"What's wrong with hate mail? I get them all the time." Austin took the letters from Trish.

"Well, they're not for you, they're for Ally."

"Me?" Ally was shocked, but she knew why she received the hate mail.

Austin didn't even open the letters; he instantly threw the letters in the recycling bin. "This is crazy! And they call themselves Austin Moon fans?!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure as time passes, so will all this." Trish reassured them.

"Maybe we can make time fly by throwing it out the window!" Dez laughed at his own joke. No one else was laughing and Trish slapped him in the arm. "Ow."

* * *

A week has passed and still no sign of all the drama dying down. Austin was getting incredibly impatient; he hated how all this hate was affecting Ally negatively.

"I can't believe my 'fans' would do this." Austin gave air quotes at the word 'fans'.

"Yeah, and I can't believe you haven't kissed Ally yet. It's been more than a week since you guys got together." Dez was bouncing a ball on Austin's wall.

"Well that's because whenever we get to almost kissing, something or someone interrupts us. It's like the universe doesn't want me to kiss Ally or something." Austin slumped on his bed.

Dez stopped bouncing the ball and turned to Austin. "I'm sure the universe wants you two to kiss, maybe the time just isn't right. Don't worry buddy, everything will be alright."

"I hope so."

* * *

Ally sighed looking at the pile of hate mail she's been receiving. They just keep coming and coming, Trish almost lit them up with a flame thrower. She didn't care about all the hate mail, all she cared about was Austin; she hated how his career was on thin ice because of all the drama. Austin's reputation was smudged because of the incident in the movie theater, and she can't help but blame herself, Austin was trying to protect her.

"You know, I could always visit these people one by one, I'm very good at revenge remember." Trish smirked evilly.

"No Trish, that wouldn't be right." Ally stood up and headed for the door. "I think I have a better idea."

"Where are you going?" Trish asked.

"To Austin's house."

* * *

"Austin, Ally and Trish are here!" Mrs. Moon yelled from downstairs. "They're on their way up!"

"Thanks mom!" Austin yelled back.

"Hey Austin." She hugged him.

"You guys hug all the time. When are you going to kiss?" Dez asked earning him a glare from Austin. "Uh, take your time." He grinned.

"What are you doing here so late?" Austin took a seat on his bed and Ally followed. "I could've come over to your house if you wanted to talk."

"It's fine." Ally fiddled with her hair.

"Is something wrong?" Austin was concerned, she was playing with her hair, and it could only mean something was wrong.

Ally took a deep breath. "Austin, we need to break up."

* * *

**WHAT?! WHY?! ALLY?!  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**This took a while to write. I even stayed up all night because I was afraid that if I go to sleep all the ideas would disappear. :P Anyways, summer is coming to an end and so is this story. :( I plan on finishing this before my classes continue. I've got a couple of chapters left to finish this story. And I also have a sequel in the works if all goes well. Now, without further ado, here is chapter 16!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

"Austin, we need to break up."

Trish pulled Ally over to the side. "Ally, what are you doing?" Ally didn't answer; she just looked at the ground avoiding eye contact with Austin.

"Have you gone bonkers?" This time Dez asked Ally.

"I have to agree with Dez, which is rare, which shows how crazy you're being Ally." Trish was trying to change Ally's mind, with no success, she looked determined.

Austin, who was quiet the entire time, finally spoke up. "Dez, Trish, could you leave the room? I need to talk to Ally alone." His voice was stern, his eyes locked on Ally.

Trish and Dez looked at each other. "Fine, but we'll be right outside if you need anything." Trish said as she left with Dez, closing the door on the way out.

"Ally, I know why you're doing this. There has to be another way."

Ally, still avoiding eye contact, felt like crying but she didn't. "I'm not going to let your career, something you've been working on so hard for years, crumble."

"Ally, no. My career doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, it's your dream."

"It is, but I also have another dream. And do you know what that is?" Ally shook her head and he held her face. "You."

Ally was so touched at what Austin said that she started crying. "I'm sorry Austin, I love you."

Austin wiped her tears away. "I love you too." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Ally was shocked at first but closed her eyes and kissed back.

Meanwhile outside Austin's room, Trish and Dez were leaning on the door trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I can't hear them talking anymore." Trish ear was on the door.

"I think I know why." Dez was looking through the key hole.

Trish pulled Dez away. "Let me see." Unfortunately, as Trish was trying to see through the hole, the door opened. Dez and Trish, who were leaning on the door, fell to the floor. They looked up to see Austin and Ally looking at them suspiciously.

"We were just...uh…checking if your door was strong enough." Dez grinned. "Which it isn't by the way."

Trish brushed herself off and stood up. "We weren't spying if that's what you're suggesting."

Ally smiled. "We weren't suggesting that."

"You guys seem really happy." Trish knew what was going on, even if she didn't get to see it.

Ally blushed. "Let's go Trish, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow Austin, Dez."

"Bye Ally." Austin gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Just a peck on the cheek? Her lips are right ther—" But before Trish could finish talking, Ally grabbed her and quickly made her way out.

"So, how was the kiss? I saw you two, no denying it. Tell me all about it." Dez was acting like a reporter wanting to know every detail of the kiss.

Austin was love struck; he kept rewinding the kiss over and over again in his mind. To him, it was perfect, and Ally was perfect. He had imagined how the kiss would go before, but right now, words can't describe how he felt. It was definitely way better than he imagined. Dez tried to get his attention but it was no use, Austin was still dazed.

* * *

Ally and Trish were walking on the sidewalk heading home. Ally still hasn't answered Trish's constant questions about the kiss, she was too happy thinking about the amazing kiss with Austin. Not only was it her first kiss with Austin, it was also her first actual kiss. A lot of people teased her for not having her first kiss yet, but it was only because she didn't' feel very comfortable with the other guys she's dated. But with Austin, it just seemed so right, like he's the one.

"Are you ever going to answer me or are you just going to drool about your kiss all night?" Trish said as they reached Ally's house.

"Sorry Trish, I just, I don't know, I'm really happy I guess." Ally couldn't stop smiling.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy. I mean I thought I was going to have to hit you in the head when you said you wanted to break up with Austin." Trish laughed.

Ally scratched her head and laughed softly. "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. We're going to go through this mess together, with you and Dez too." She hugged Trish.

* * *

Days passed to weeks and weeks passed to months. It took a while getting used to the spotlight, especially with Ally's stage fright, but the press and fans are starting to calm down. Sure at times Austin and Ally would be followed during their dates but it's not as bad as when they first started dating, there are even times when they would go out and no one is following them.

After a few months of dating, Austin and Ally have definitely gotten less awkward around each other. The still don't kiss in public though, with the exception of occasional pecks on the cheek. At school they still act like best friends, maybe because the truth is that even as best friends they acted like a couple. They would walk each other to class, eat together during lunch and walk home together, all of the same things they did before being a couple.

Today Austin was hanging out at Ally's house; they were watching a movie in Ally's living room. Sometimes they would rather have their dates in each other's house because it felt more private. And plus, privacy means they could cuddle and or kiss. They were sitting on the couch; Austin had his arm around Ally's shoulder and a bowl of popcorn on his lap.

"I love The Little Mermaid; Ariel is definitely one of my favorite princesses because she has such an amazing voice." Ally said as she crunched on some popcorn.

Austin smiled at her excitement. "Just like you." He leaned over and kissed her check.

Ally bit her lip and smiled. "Aw, that's sweet." She also kissed him on the cheek. "And you're my Prince Eric."

"Can you believe that our senior year is about to end?" Ally grabbed some soda from the table.

Austin also took a sip of the soda. "Yeah, they say that senior year is the best time of your life. It definitely has one of my favorite moments, when I finally realized that I loved you."

Ally beamed. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're awesome?"

"Yeah, some people." Austin said as he chuckled.

"You know my favorite moment wasn't during senior year, it was a couple of years ago when a tall blond boy came into Sonic Boom one day and started drumming with some corn dogs. At that time I didn't know that that boy would turn my life upside down nor did I know that I would end up falling in love with him." Ally giggled as Austin started to tickle her.

"I like that too." Austin smiled and continued to tickle Ally.

Their senior year has definitely been amazing. Though some bumps in the road, they've managed to go by it in one piece. Right now the thing on both Austin and Ally's mind is graduation and what's going to happen to their relationship afterwards. The only reason that they haven't discussed it is because they both have a secret that their hiding, a secret neither wants the other to find out at the moment.

* * *

**Time flew by fast didn't it? (Kind of like my summer. :( Boo.) Anyways, what is this secret that they're both keeping?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay guys, this is the second to last chapter of Affections & Obstacles. It's a long one, I hope you enjoy it. :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, Ally was busy with work, Trish was busy getting fired from work, and Austin and Dez were busy not doing any work. Graduation was just a month away and everyone's been dealing with it in their own way. Dez is planning on going on to study film, it's pretty obvious why. Trish wants to do business; with all her job experience she might as well start her own business. Ally is going to focus on music; her stage fright has been reduced to performing for large audiences so she hopes she can overcome that in university. Austin couldn't decide on whether he wanted to do dance or music so he decided to double major and do both. All of their futures were set. Or were they?

Austin and Dez were messing around in the practice room, they were just being boys. Ally had work on Saturday until noon so Austin would sometimes wait in the practice room until she was done. Downstairs, Ally was working on one of her busiest shifts. With summer near it meant that there would be a lot of kids wanting to buy instruments for lessons. Ally has been pretty stressed out lately, with graduation and university. She has some major decisions she has to make and it's kind of driving her crazy.

"Guess who got accepted to Juilliard!" Trish came in holding an envelope.

"What, really? Let me see!" Ally took the letter from Trish and immediately read it. "I can't believe it!" She couldn't help but dance her awkward little 'Ally' dance.

"So are you going?"

Ally's smiled faded. "I don't know Trish. I mean, New York is so far away and I love my life here in Miami. Austin and I were planning on going to University of Florida together too." Ally held the Juilliard letter tight.

"Ally, this is a wonderful opportunity. Promise me you'll think long and hard about it?" Trish held Ally's shoulders.

Ally thought for a while and sighed. "I promise." Ally smiled. "I need to get back to work, don't tell anyone about this please, especially Austin."

"My lips are sealed." Trish said as she went up the steps to the practice room.

Ally watched Trish leave and turned her attention back to the letter in her hand. "What am I going to do?"

* * *

Trish walked into the practice room looking puzzled. "Uh what are you guys doing?"

Austin and Dez were sprawled on the floor, marshmallows were scattered everywhere. "Dez got us marshmallow guns as graduation gifts and we thought we'd test them out." They did their signature 'What up!' handshake.

"It was awesome!" Dez was trying to remove chunks of marshmallow from his hair.

Trish maneuvered her way across the room, trying to avoid the sticky marshmallows. "You know Ally hates food in the store, you guys better clean it up before she finishes work."

Austin quickly stood up and cleaned himself up. "I know, which is why we covered the floor with plastic. Ally's my best friend, I know her." Even though they are dating, Austin still refers to Ally as his best friend. Because according to Austin, a best friend is someone you care deeply about and love, and that's what Ally is to him, his girlfriend and most importantly his best friend. They wrapped up the plastic and scrapped the marshmallows off the wall.

Suddenly, Trish's phone started ringing. "Hello, Trish speaking…Yes, I am Austin Moon's manager, how may I help you?" She was quiet for a while, listening, and occasionally nodding her head. "That's wonderful! I'll speak to Austin about it and get back to you. Thank you, goodbye."

Austin was anxious to hear what the phone call was about. "Who was that, what was it about?"

"That was Jeff Sterling, he's one of the biggest tour promoters in the country and he agreed on promoting your tour through all of North America! Finally, it's been so hard trying to get him to promote you, now you get to go on a larger tour!"

"Awesome! When does it start?"

Trish bit her nails. "Right after summer actually, it goes for six months."

"I was afraid of that; it means you guys can't go with me because of classes. And six months is also a long time to be away, what am I going to do about Ally?"

"That's the least of her problems." Trish said under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." Trish grinned.

"She can't know about this, she needs to study her music and going with me would distract her. And even if she takes online classes like me, it won't be the same."

* * *

The next few days have been hard for Austin and Ally, the decisions and the secrets were definitely stressing them out. Neither has told the other about each other's big news. Austin had trouble finding a way of telling Ally about the tour. It was his longest tour yet, and it didn't happen during summer. Dez and Trish decided to take online classes during the tour, seeing as touring wouldn't be the same without Team Austin. Austin had trouble telling Ally, he wanted her to focus on her music, on her own career instead of his. But he decided that he had to tell Ally, she'd understand. Ally, on the other hand, is still hesitant about taking Juilliard's offer. A lot of people, especially her dad and Trish keep urging her to take the offer. But her heart didn't want to be far away from Austin, she knew about long distance relationships went. She didn't even know if she should tell Austin or not. Knowing him, he'd make her go and tell her to follow her dreams.

Austin decided to tell Ally about the tour during one of their dates. Ally was getting ready in her bathroom while Austin was waiting in Ally's room. He was looking at the pictures on her desk and came across an envelope. Being the curious, and occasionally snoopy, person he is, he decided to take a peek at the letter.

Austin scanned the letter. "Juilliard? Ally's been accepted to Juilliard, and she didn't tell me?" Austin was both proud and shocked. He was so proud that Ally was accepted to such a prestigious music school, but shocked that she kept such amazing news from him. He couldn't figure out why.

"Sorry I took a while, ready to go?" Ally smiled and Austin quickly put the letter back on the table.

Austin offered his hand to Ally and she took it. "Let's go."

They had their date at the rooftop restaurant where they had their first date. It was a bright sunny day; the breeze was cool and refreshing. Austin kept thinking about the Juilliard letter he found in Ally's room. He wanted to bring it up but chose to wait; maybe Ally was going to tell him soon. He decided to tell Ally about the tour first.

"Ally, I have something I need to tell you." Austin took a deep breath. "I'm going on a tour, the promoter finally agreed on a deal and I'm going to be performing across North America."

Ally smiled and hugged him. "That's great Austin! When do we leave?"

"Dez, Trish and I are leaving in the fall. Dez and Trish have decided to take online courses during the tour."

"Wait, what about me? I can take online courses too."

"Not in Juilliard."

"How did you—"

"I saw the letter Ally. Why would you keep something like this? It's great that you've been accepted at such an amazing school." Austin took Ally's hands and looked deep into her eyes. "I'm so proud of you."

"Austin, I can't go to Juilliard, it's in New York, and that's so far away." Ally sniffled. "I can't imagine not seeing you every day."

"My tour stops in New York; we can see each other then."

"But what about the rest of the year? Or the years after that? What about you and Trish and Dez? What about Miami? I can't just leave my friends and my home!" Ally was in tears, she was sobbing.

Austin kissed her trying to calm her down, it worked, a little. Ally stopped sobbing but was still sniffling a little. Austin felt like crying too but held back his tears. "I love you too much to not let you take this amazing opportunity. I don't want to see you leave either but I have to let you go and let you follow your dreams Ally." He squeezed her hands. "Will you go to New York?"

Ally looked into Austin's eyes and saw something she has always saw, confidence. It made her confident about everything. Austin was the reason that she took her first steps in facing her fear, Austin taught her how to be confident and perform with all her heart. Ally nodded, still crying. "I will, I'll got to New York and make you proud Austin."

Austin kissed her again. "That's my girl."

* * *

Graduation was amazing; it was definitely a night they would never forget. Austin and Ally spent as much time together as possible during their last few weeks together. Summer was almost over which meant that Ally had to head to New York and Austin, Dez and Trish would start the tour. Everything happened too fast for them. They really wished that time would slow down but they knew that time slowed down for no one.

Ally really didn't want to be separated from her friends. But she knew some sacrifices had to be made for her dream to come true. She still dreaded the day she would leave Miami and yet she's also excited to start a new adventure and see what the future has in store for her.

* * *

**One more chapter! I have a sequel though! I'll tell you guys more about it on the next chapter. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is it, the final chapter of Affections & Obstacles. I'd like to thank everyone who followed the story and reviewed. You guys definitely make writing a joy for me. I'm so glad that you enjoy my story and I hope you will enjoy any more stories I write. And now, I present the final chapter, chapter 18!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

* * *

Austin, Dez and Trish were decorating the Sonic Boom for Ally's surprise party. They wanted her to have a good and happy farewell because Ally has been feeling down lately. Her flight to New York was tomorrow morning so today was all about Ally.

"Dez, don't forget to actually tie the balloons after blowing them." Trish said as she hung up a banner.

Dez looked to the ground around him to see deflated balloons that he previously blew. "Um, yeah I knew that." He quickly started blowing the balloons all over again.

Trish rolled her eyes and continued to work on the banner. The store was decorated with colorful streamers and balloons, there were tubs of fruity mint swirl and pickle baskets everywhere. There was also a cake in the shape of a piano. All of Ally's favorite things in one party.

"This has to be perfect guys; I want Ally to have the best day ever!" Austin has been busy with the party all week. He definitely is going all out on this.

"I can't believe Ally is leaving me, we've been together since kindergarten. I don't know what I'll do without her. Who's going to get me out of trouble?" Trish sniffled; she was definitely going to miss her best friend like crazy.

"Yeah, and who's going to keep me from doing anything stupid?" Dez said sadly, Ally would always be the voice of reason for Dez, even if he does ignore her at times, he still cares about her.

"Come on guys, don't be sad. This is supposed to be a happy party for Ally." Austin tried cheering his friends up, even though on the inside he wasn't feeling very cheery.

"By the way, who's keeping Ally away from here?" Dez said in between blows, there were a lot of balloons that need to be blown up.

"She's keeping herself busy; you know how she cleans when she's upset. She's probably scrubbing every inch of her house." Trish said.

After a few hours of decorating they finally finished at 11:45 am. Austin went to pick up Ally as the guests started pouring in. There were friends from school, people Ally tutored in music, members of her cloud watching club and a lot more. By 12 o'clock, Trish got a text from Austin saying that they were on their way over.

Trish started yelling orders. "Alright everybody, hide! Dez, hit the lights." Dez took out a hammer. "Not literally!" Dez frowned and flicked the switch off. Even though it was noon, Sonic Boom was relatively dark with the lights off.

Outside, Austin was walking with Ally through the mall. Throughout the walk Ally kept asking questions that went unanswered, Austin just kept saying 'you'll see'. He finally got the 'okay' text from Trish which means that it was time to take Ally to her party. As Austin opened the doors the lights turned on, followed by confetti and everyone yelling 'surprise'. Ally was shocked; she didn't know what to say.

"Surprise Ally." Austin said as he ushered her towards the Trish and Dez.

Ally was covering her mouth, still overwhelmed at what was going on. "You guys, I-I don't know what to say! Thank you so much!"

"Aw, group hug!" Dez opened his arms wide and they had a group hug.

Ally had a blast at the party, she didn't even care that there was food in the store. It was, without a doubt, a day she'll never forget. All the laughing and the smiling made her forget about how upset she was about leaving. All she cared about at the moment was being with her best friends. After a few hours, the party ended and the guests started to leave. They cleaned up the store, joking around in the process. It was as if all the weight on Ally's shoulders were lifted.

* * *

Austin wanted to make Ally's last night in Miami a memorable one and so he decided to take her on a romantic dinner. They were enjoying a nice homemade candlelight dinner in Austin's backyard. It was simple yet elegant, but all that mattered for Ally was that she was there with Austin.

"Thank you Austin, this is amazing." Ally was feeling a mixture of happiness and heart ache.

Austin smiled, he may look happy on the outside but the truth is he was hurting on the inside. He didn't want Ally to leave him, but he couldn't be selfish either. "You're welcome; I want tonight to be a special night you'll never forget." He kissed her hand. They spent the rest of the night reminiscing and talking about their future.

* * *

The next morning, in the car ride to the airport, Austin never let go of Ally's hand. They stayed in silence as they prepared themselves mentally to say goodbye. Austin was really upset; touring is not going to be the same without all of Team Austin. He wanted to cry but stayed strong for Ally. All Ally wanted to do was hold on to Austin and cry. Once they reached the airport, Ally and Trish started crying and hugging.

"You better take care of yourself in New York and don't forget to call me every single day; if not then I'll call you. And if you don't pick up I'm come over there myself and make sure you're okay." It's a miracle how Trish managed to talk so much in between sobs. "And don't go finding another best friend, that's my job and the longest job I've ever had and I hope I don't get fired from it. Don't talk to strangers and don't forget to eat three times a day, stay away from junk food, they're bad for you. And, and, and, don't ever forget me."

Ally cried and hugged Trish tighter. "I could never do that Trish, you're my best friend and I love you so much."

Austin smiled at the two best friends. Then he looked at Dez who was sniffling. "Dez are you crying?"

Dez rubbed his eyes. "No, I just have something in my eyes."

Austin chuckled; Dez has always been such a sensitive guy at heart. Ally and Trish finally let go and it was Dez's turn to squeeze the brunette. Because of the height difference between Dez and Ally, Dez practically lifted Ally when he hugged her.

"Oh Ally, I'm going to miss you so much!" Dez spun her around a couple times before putting her down.

"Don't cry Dez, New York isn't too far away."

"I'm not crying, I'm sweating through my eyes." Dez whimpered and hugged Ally again. "I'm your BFF don't forget that, your best freckled friend."

Dez let go of her and Ally smiled at him. "Don't forget to call me when you plan on doing something ridiculous."

"Never." Dez ruffled her hair and she turned to Austin.

"So this is it I guess." Ally couldn't control her tears.

Austin hugged her tightly. "Don't say it like I'll never see you again. When the tour stops in New York I'll visit you, I promise. And we'll see each other during the summer and winter holidays." Austin let go of Ally and reached into his pocket. He took out a small red box and handed it to Ally. "Here this is for you."

Ally was surprised; she took the box and slowly opened it to see a beautiful ring. It was a white gold infinity shaped ring and there was an engraving on the inside that read, _**A&A – Now & Forever.**_ Ally was speechless, it was so beautiful. Austin took the ring from the box and slipped it on Ally's finger.

"It's a promise ring."

"What are you promising?" Ally asked.

"To love you forever, no matter how far apart we are. To give you the best hugs and kisses you'll ever get. To talk to you, no matter what the time, whenever you're lonely. And to always be your best friend, no matter what happens."

Ally's eyes started watering even more. "I love you so much Austin." She hugged him, crying into his chest.

Austin held her tightly in his arms. "I love you too Ally." They let go and kissed.

The sound of the intercom announced that it was time for Ally to board her plane. She gave everyone one last hug and said her final farewell. Ally walked thought the gate, she gave the stewardess her ticket and turned to look at her friends. She mouthed 'I love you' to them and waved. She took a deep breath as she boarded the plane heading for New York.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! Thank you again for reading Affections & Obstacles! :)**

**Remember when I said I might have a sequel? Well, it's still in the works at the moment. What do you guys think? Would you guys read a sequel? It's basically going yo be about Ally's life in New York and Austin's tour life and how they manage a long distance relationship.  
**


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